Venom and Vanilla
by ruflylover
Summary: Alice Cooper has finally revealed her true scales. What could this mean for the Cooper family? Takes place after the Lodge open-house 2x05. Disclaimer: all rights and characters belong to Riverdale and the CW.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Just a short one-shot that may become more if I'm so inclined. I really like the idea of Alice and FP, so even though he doesn't make an appearance (per se) in this ficlet, I feel like if you read closely enough, he's mentioned ;)

Let me know if I should continue! Bughead would be added as well because what is Falice without Bughead and vice versa?

Xx Kate

Hal Cooper was not far behind his wife as she stalked through the front door of their suburban home still clad in 4-inch gold stilettos, a fiery red and orange jumper dress, and a snake pendant wrapped around her pearly neck. The house would have thought it was welcoming a stranger.

Alice Cooper was just about to continue up the stairs to lock herself away when her husband grabbed her wrist and twisted her around to face him.

"Don't think you're getting off that easy, what the hell is this about?" he sneered, gesturing towards her appearance.

Alice scowled and yanked her arm from Hal's grasp, "What, you don't like it?" She cocked an eyebrow, pursed her lips – waiting for a response from her dim-witted husband. The classic Alice Cooper glare.

Hal inhaled sharply and glowered over her, "It's not the Alice _I know_. You're not the woman I married. I don't see her when I look at you…like _this_ ," he eyed her up and down, but it wasn't approvingly. His gaze held a tinge of disgust.

Alice placed her hand on her hip, "No?"

Hal zeroed in on the gold snake pendant and frowned, "No."

Alice rolled her eyes and placed her manicured fingers across Hal's chest, "Well," she clucked, her voice suddenly sultry, her eyes hooded, "Maybe that's for the best Hal, darling. The old Alice was a stick in the mud." Her fingernails dug into his chest and Hal's breathing hitched. He recovered quickly, holding his stance. He grabbed his wife's hand and gripped it in his own. He squeezed…hard. " _A stick_ in the mud?"

Alice held back her wince and grimaced, "You haven't touched me in _years,_ Hal," she explained through gritted teeth.

"So that's what this is about…getting attention… _from me_?" His grip softened, so did his tone, his gaze.

 _What a fool_ , Alice thought. She couldn't care less if Hal thought of her, touched her, loved her even. She wanted those things…but not from Hal. But it was fun to toy with him, it always had been.

"Do you still find me attractive, Hal?" Alice whispered, stepping between his legs, gripping his solid frame.

"I find you most attractive, Alice, when you're wearing your pink cardigans, those tight skirts, your pearls…not…this," he touched the snake and then stepped back suddenly as if he'd been burned.

"I don't believe that," she bit out, before thinking better of it. She was still a woman after all; a human being with emotions and even the almighty Alice Cooper needed to feel…well, needed.

"What do you mean?"

"You fell in love with me all those years ago because I _was_ like this," she gripped the snake around her neck, "I was the forbidden fruit, I was bitter and juicy, and I tasted good and… _wrong_ ," she seethed.

Hal stood speechless.

"You wanted me because you saw a bad girl that you could tame," she continued, on a roll. She was just getting started, riled up, almost taller than her husband in these heels, she felt powerful. But Hal wasn't going to let her get it twisted.

"No, no," Hal interrupted, straightening himself up to face her, "That's just not true, Alice. You may have been a Southside girl when we first met. But I fell in love with you because under those scales I saw you for what you really were…a sweet, kind girl, desperate for a way out."

Alice scoffed, "So you think you rescued me? Is that it? I was damaged goods and you straightened me out, showed me the good life?"

"Well…" Hal began.  
"No, Hal! You think this is the good life?" She gestured around the room, "Cold. That's what this life is. Ice cold."

Hal genuinely looked hurt. He stepped back again, creating distance. It was what he was best at.

"I've worked my very hardest to create good life for you and our girls. I don't know what else you could have wanted, Alice. I gave you everything you ever asked for," he said, his eyes almost looked as if they were filling with tears.

 _A trick of the light_ , Alice convinced herself.

"You gave me what I asked for, sure. But what I actually needed, you had no idea," Alice whispered.

"Well I'm sorry, Al. I'm not a damned mind reader now, am I?"

"Aren't you going to ask me, now?"

Hal laughed spitefully, "Fine, Alice," he asked, "What did you _need_?"

Alice lurched forward, suddenly, grasping at the lapels of his jacket.

" _Passion_ ," she said, "danger, romance, excitement, _something_ …anything."

Hal searched her eyes for an Alice that he recognized, but he couldn't find her and it left him with nothing but confusion. Alice recognized that.

"You can't give me those things…don't feel bad, Hal. It isn't your fault," she said sadly, her hands falling limp at her sides.

Hal couldn't find words, his breath catching repeatedly in his throat.

"Don't feel bad," she said again.

And with that, she turned on her gold stiletto heels and disappeared up the stairs, the fiery fabric of her train billowing behind her. A burning flame that left trail of singed earth and pungent smoke in its wake.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks for the love; reviews, follows, and favs! It's exciting to have a new OTP; I haven't had one for a while! I think I shall take this story as far as my imagination lets me…what do you guys think?

Xx kate

Baking takes her mind off everything. She sifts flour and it dulls the ache of her suddenly imploded life. She cracks an egg and tries to forget that the whole town has now been reminded of her Southside days, a time she's spent decades convincing everyone didn't happen. Her perfect façade has been deposed. _Oh well,_ she thought sullenly, whisking batter as if her life depended on it, _I'm Alice Cooper and I'll embrace it_. Nothing kept her down long.

"Are you making Grandma Cooper's brownies?" her daughter's voice pulled her from her thoughts.

Alice looked up from the chocolate mixture to meet her daughter's blue eyes, "That I am…" she trailed off, taking note of Betty's outfit. She cocked her eyebrow in confusion, "Elizabeth…are those my overalls?" she asked with disdain, "Where did you even find those?"

Betty shoved her hands in the worn pockets of the familiar getup, "Oh," she said coolly, "I found them in the attic, I didn't know they were yours," she explained.

"Well of course they're mine," she deadpanned, "But Betty, why in the world would you want to wear _those_?"

Alice Cooper eyed her daughter with skepticism.

Betty looked at her feet, rocking back on her heels, "I'm helping Jug fix a car," she admitted.

"You're doing what?" Hal came into the kitchen suddenly, earning a glare from both his daughter and his wife.

"I'm helping Jughead fix a car," she repeated with more confidence, "But a more legitimate question that I wanted to ask _you_ , dad, is why were you sleeping on the couch last night?"

Hal cleared his throat and Alice spoke before he could respond, "Don't change the subject, Elizabeth," she chided casually.

"How do you even know how to fix a car, honey?" Hal asked, taking a seat at the kitchen table. He was thankful his wife knew how to steer a conversation. He had always relied on her quick wit and useful repartee.

"Mom," she responded nonchalantly, "Mom taught me."

Hal face contorted into a look of pure bewilderment, "Mom as in _mom_? As in _you_?" He pointed at his wife with limp finger.

Alice shrugged and Betty smirked.

"I guess there are still things you don't know about me, Hal Cooper, even after twenty five years," she smirked, pouring the brownie mixture into a pan.

Alice's unruffled composure never wavered but inside she was swelling with pride. Perhaps her newly unearthed Serpent days would prove to be less than the scandalous disgrace she thought they would be. Surprisingly, she had yet to meet any of the memories with the mortification and shame she was expecting to feel. Instead, recalling the days of her misspent youth was forming within her an excitement she hadn't felt in decades. A feeling of danger and thrill she had pushed deep down inside when she'd traded her black leather jacket for a baby blue tweed blazer.

"My daddy taught me how to fix up the cars they used for Serpent drag races," Alice explained. Hal twitched at her off-the-cuff reference to the odious gang. Even though he knew all too well where his wife had originated, he wasn't used to her bringing it up in reference to herself, especially in front of their daughter. Alice had done a brilliant job hiding her past, convincing everyone, including Hal, of her pure and clement history. Looking at her, no one would ever have guessed – the only remains of her past life hidden away in the form of a small tattoo that no one but Hal had seen since they were married. And now everything had shattered and Hal could hardly believe he was sitting here discussing his wife's Serpent past with his innocent daughter who was clad in dirty overalls and scuffed sneakers. He hardly recognized his perfect family.

" _Serpent drag races_ ," Hal repeated, his voice dripping with contempt, "Betty, that's not what you are fixing Jughead's car for, right?"

This got Alice's attention, her head shot up and she eyed her daughter, "No, of course not, right Elizabeth?"

There was the Alice that Hal recognized. He suppressed a smile.

Betty cowered; she never had been a good liar.

"Betty, _no_ , those races are dangerous and you will not attend. I'm sorry but I'm drawing the line there," Alice said, walking over to slide the brownie tray into the oven.

" _Mom_ , you just got done saying that you did the exact same thing when you were young, you are _such_ a hypocrite," Betty complained. Alice rolled her eyes and was about to respond but Hal thought he would rescue his wife.

"Didn't you break it off with Jughead anyway?" Hal asked. Betty shot him a glare.

"I'll always love Jughead, dad," Betty said quickly. Alice's heart dropped to her stomach as she remembered saying something similar about another Southside boy back in the day. She did not envy her daughter. She knew quite well the charms of the Jones men. When those fangs got you…well, they tended not to let go.

Alice glanced across the room at her husband, who was doing his best not to become noticeably agitated, but Alice knew Hal's tells. She had memorized his subtle facial cues over the years and she could tell that the slight twitch of his eye meant he was just holding onto his temper by a string.

 _Poor Hal_ , she thought. _That man's world had just been rocked_ , and there was no sign of it returning to its benign days of buttermilk pancakes in the morning and missionary position at night. Alice supposed making his mother's famous brownie recipe would be a sort of parting gift. _Better say goodbye to that life, Hal_. _Our picture-perfect illusion has been shattered, much like window of The Register_.

Alice joined her husband at the table and squeezed his leg affectionately. His eye twitch faltered. He smiled at his wife. He expected her to take the reigns, now – to lay down the law with their youngest. Alice turned to her daughter who was clenching her fists, a worried, unsettled look in her eye.

"Have fun, Betty, but please be safe," Alice said. Hal tensed. Betty soared.

"Thanks mom!" Betty bent down and hugged her mother. Hal frowned. Betty practically skipped out the door.

"What was _that_ about, Alice?" Hal said as soon as she'd left.

Alice rose from the table and shrugged, "You can't stop her, Hal... you can't stop us."


	3. Chapter 3

It's 5:01 AM, the sun is just barely peeking through the curtains of the Cooper bedroom… and Alice is wide-awake – _wide_ -awake and _entirely_ alone. She doesn't like to admit that she's lonely but when you've had a warm body sleeping next to you for the past twenty-five years and suddenly that's gone, it makes a person…well, cold. She pulls her duvet up to her chin, trying to maintain heat. She tries not to think of a certain someone she'd rather have curled up next to her…

Suddenly the bedroom door is thrown open – Alice sits up immediately, the force of his entrance startling. "Hal! –"

"I'm sorry to barge in, Alice," he begins, his face unreadable. He looks _spooked_ – and that's the best way Alice can describe it.

"I just caught Betty sneaking in…presumably from Jughead Jones' place-"

"What! –" Alice is already out of bed, grabbing her silk robe from the closet door, wrapping it around her small frame. She's about to push past Hal, about to go find her daughter when Hal grabs her by her wrist. A flash anger clouds his face – or maybe it's hurt, disappoint – Alice used to pride herself on being able to read her husband but lately she's unsure.

"Alice," he says through gritted teeth, "I just got through picking up our daughter from the sheriff's station yesterday for breaking and entering and now _this_ …if she's going down this road… _your_ old path, the one I _dragged_ you from, I swear-"

Alice yanked her hand from her husband's tight grasp, "She's not. _And how dare you_ ," she spat.

"Seems awful familiar Alice," he continued, "Jones boy and all." Hal raised his eyebrow, tried to seem tough. But his façade was cracking – Alice could distinctively see his pulse bounding in his throat, the hairs on his arms standing on end, his shoulders slumped. He just didn't want to lose her…or Betty…Alice pitied him.

"Oh, Hal," she reached out, laying both of her manicured hands on her husbands shivering arms, "We _won't_ lose her, I won't let it happen. She's going to stay safe and protected as long as I have anything to do with it," she assured him.

"But the Jones boy-" Hal started, unconvinced.

"Jughead is a _good_ kid. He's on our side. I know he won't let anything bad happen to our girl… but he needs our help," Alice paused and pulled her arms around her own body. She forced herself to hold her tears at bay. Now it was Hal's turn to reach out for her. His efforts were slightly more hesitant. He squeezed her arm cautiously.

"Alice, its okay-"

Alice gripped her hand over his, "I know what it's like to _be_ him…remember what your family did for me, Hal? Now we have to do the same for Jughead," she told him.

Hal nodded, Alice could convince him of _almost_ anything. Those piercing blue-green eyes, formidable stare, and sharp cheekbones…he couldn't resist.

"Okay, Alice… _okay_ ," he stuttered. Alice pursed her lips and gently squeezed his hand.

"I'm going to go find Betty," she informed him.

"Do you want me to come?" Hal asked.

"I think this is more of a mother-daughter talk. Wait for me in bed…I'll be back soon."

Hal's shoulders visibly perked up and Alice pretended not to notice how hopeful he looked.

Alice found Betty in a small curled-up ball, under her floral covers, facing away from the door.

" _Betty_ ," Alice said tentatively, taking a seat on her daughter's bed. "We need to talk."

Betty turned toward her mother at once, revealing her splotched face, her eyes obviously swollen from crying.

"Oh, Betty…" Alice said gently. Her heart ached for her, everything her daughter's felt always hit her ten times harder. Everything Alice had ever done since Polly and Betty were born had been for them. _Everything_. And this was no different – if that Jones boy had broken her daughter's heart like she suspected, regardless of what she'd just finished saying to Hal, she would murder him – she would make him suffer.

"What's wrong, honey?" she asked gently, wiping the fresh tears from her daughter's eyes, smoothing her hair away from her face.

"I can't say…" she hiccupped, "But I'm sorry for staying out all night without telling you or Dad…" she cried, "I do feel bad about that. I should have explained."

"Well, you can explain now, can't you?" Alice needed to tread very lightly if she was going to get any information out her daughter in this fragile state. She had learned much about sleuthing and manipulation from her years in journalism.

"All I can tell you is that Jughead has been going through a hard time with FP in jail and…last night, everything got that much worse for him…"

Alice's heart dropped into her stomach. _What happened to FP?_ Her mind went straight to the worst – _he's dead_. Her chest felt tight and she tried to pull air in but met resistance.

"Betty, what happened…I can help," Alice soothed. Her heart was racing but she couldn't let her daughter know.

Betty bit her lip, her nails digging into her palms under the covers, unbeknownst to her mother, "Promise me that you won't tell anyone, not even dad…until it comes out in town. I don't want to make it any worse for Juggy," she started.

"I promise you, Elizabeth."

Betty took a deep breath, sitting up in bed to face her mother, "Jughead's mother was killed a few nights ago…"

Alice inhaled sharply. _Gladys Jones…_

Betty continued, "And FP is being discharged…Jughead's sister, Jellybean, is coming home…and poor Jughead…he's so _overwhelmed_ , mom, I don't know what to do for him!" Betty whaled, throwing herself into her mother's arms.

" _We_ will help him, Betty, don't you worry," she whispered into her daughter's ear, "We'll be there for them…you and I…We'll be there for the Jones'."

A/N: So…What did you think? Review and let me know! Also, next week we get to see some Falice finally and I AM HERE FOR IT!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: MY FALICE HEART IS ALIVE AND WELL IN RIVERDALE. Holy shit though, the episode this week. I'm SHOOK. Please enjoy a new chapter in honor of all that is gorgeously Falice and please please leave a review – I'm vain and it makes me happy to hear what people think!

Alice found Hal right where she told him to wait – _in their bed_. Her stomach lurched and she chided herself – these days she was the biggest hypocrite and she knew it. Her heart was telling her one thing and her head another…but hadn't that always been the problem? She had long ago learned to silence her heart but ever since Betty and Jughead had started dating, it was almost as if her mind- her sanity - had been locked up, the key no where to be found. Their whole relationship reminded her of who she really was deep down. The question remained – did she actually want those true colors to shine or did she want to preserve her comfortable life with this wonderful (for the most part) man in front of her, beckoning her under the covers.

Alice smiled weakly at her husband and sat down on the edge of the bed. Hal reached for her waist and pulled her in next to him. Alice didn't fight it but she remained stiff as a board. Hal pretended not to notice… _baby steps_.

"Thanks for taking care of that, honey," Hal whispered into Alice's hair. Alice held her breath and nodded. Hal continued, "It's just that picking Betty up at Sheriff Keller's yesterday and then waking up to her sneaking through the front door…it was just too much…"

Alice bit her lip and spoke without turning to face him, "Need I remind you, Hal – you did the same thing… _you_ broke into Sherriff Keller's as well. And need I also remind you how many times you or I snuck out of the house to be with each other?"

Hal was silent for a moment before responding. When he finally did, Alice noticed his throat was tight, clearly fighting back tears, "The thing is…I don't want her to be like us, Alice."

Alice nodded, she completely understood. She finally turned in to face him, "But how can she _not_?" she said lightly, taking her husband's hand and squeezing it under the covers.

"I thought we raised her differently…I thought we raised them both differently?" Hal looked broken in front of her.

Alice smiled sadly, "Oh, honey," she chuckled, "some things are truly nature vs. nurture…and clearly are DNA is just too strong."

This made Hal smile. She smiled back. She remembered why she had stayed with Hal all these years – he was comfortable and made her feel safe. He pulled her closer to him and this time Alice relaxed. She couldn't bring herself to fight him. Hal smoothed her blonde tendrils from her face and brought his lips to her forehead, "I hate fighting with you, Alice," he whispered and placed another kiss on the tip of her nose. She loved when he did that, always had.

Hal continued, "I'm so sorry about all the secrets I've kept. I only did it to keep you safe and happy. That's all I've ever wanted…for you to be happy…with me, with our life. I never thought things would end up this way," he paused for a moment and shifted his weight so that he was settled slightly over half of her body. He placed his palm over where he knew her tattoo was, "I never thought _this_ would come to light again," he finished. He looked directly into her eyes, searching for anything he recognized.

Alice was at a loss for words. Hal's hand was hot against her waist, so hot it felt like it was burning through her satin nightgown. And then just like that – a name and a face hit her brain with the force of a bullet – Forsythe Pendleton Jones _…God Damnit_. _FP's hands on her waist. FP kissing the ink that started at her hip bone and slithered between her legs... FP licking…_

Desperate to erase her thoughts, Alice reached for the back of Hal's head and brought his lips roughly down to hers. She opened her mouth and Hal was eager to take the invitation. Their tongues dueled for a few hot seconds until Alice finally pulled away, breathless. It wasn't working…

"I'm sorry, Hal," she panted, trying to catch her breath, "I'm sorry you had to find out the hard way…snakes don't shed their skin so easily."

Hal's mouth hung open and then he shut it. He sighed and moved himself off of his wife. Alice pulled herself from bed and walked to the door without looking back. Before shutting the door behind her, she was almost positive she heard him say – _"I've lost you, haven't I?"_

She's not sure why she's headed to Betty's bedroom until she opens the door and sees her daughter still curled up and weeping. Betty turns towards her mother and Alice speaks without hesitation. She knows exactly what she's doing.

"When does FP get out?" she asked.

Betty's face contorted with confusion, "This morning…why?"

Alice spoke gently yet firmly, "Get up, get dressed, and pull yourself together, Elizabeth…we're going to pick up Jughead and go get _him_."

Betty sat up quickly and wiped her eyes, "Really?"

Alice smiled at her daughter, "Really. I told you that you and I are going to be there for Jughead and his family, didn't I? Well, this is part of that, okay?"

Betty perked up and sat on the edge of her bed, "Thank you, mom," she whispered.

"Meet me in the car in ten minutes," Alice said conclusively.

Exactly ten minutes later – Alice's hair folded into a messy bun (which she never did) wearing jeans (which she hardly wore) and Betty, whose face still puffy from crying – were headed off across town to pick up the young Jones boy. All Alice could think of, though, was the Jones _man_ , whom she hadn't seen in months. Her stomach was filled with nervous butterflies.

Exactly thirty minutes later – Jughead in tow – they were all outside of the prison gates waiting for FP to present himself. Both Alice and Betty dug their nails into the palms of their hands. Jughead bit his lip anxiously. Alice put one of her arms around Jughead and squeezed, "It'll be okay," she assured. Jughead nodded quickly. She dropped her arm back down by her side and as soon as she did she noticed a very familiar mop of dark hair and worn flannel appear at the gate. It buzzed open, the man stepped out. The world stopped moving. Alice stopped breathing. She stepped back towards the car involuntarily, her body moving without her permission.

FP saw his son first and flung an arm around him, " _Son_ ," was all he said. Parting from him he acknowledged Betty, "Thanks for coming with him for support, Betty."

"It was actually my moms idea," Betty smiled.

FP looked over to the station wagon, noticing Alice for the first time. Their eyes connected and Alice felt the heat rise in her face, it spread from her cheeks, down her neck, across her chest, and further south.

"Alice…"


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: ooooh Ooohh BOY, oh LORDIE. The sexual chemistry these two have can honestly just write itself. Enjoy! Please review – those reviews keep me going

Xx Kate

Alice felt the intensity of FP's gaze as his eyes travelled from her face, down her body, and all the way to the tips of her pearly, pointed ballet flats. She suddenly felt oddly self-conscious about her very un-put-together state of attire. She shivered as his eyes returned to hers. The dark orbs piercing her own were inundated with sadness and confusion.

He didn't ask the question but she answered it any way. "I came because I heard about Gladys…I'm so sorry, FP," she said, her tone hushed. Her daughter and his son faded into the background and Alice Cooper only saw Forsythe Pendleton Jones. His shoulders visibly slumped forward and he kicked the dirt under his boots.

"Yeah, well…" he started. She stepped toward him involuntarily. He followed suit. They both stopped, still feet apart. "Any way," he continued, "I appreciate you bringing the kids to pick me up," he said, pulling them back to reality. _The kids_.

"Of course," Alice shrugged, side stepping towards Betty to pull her into her side, " _Of course_ ," she repeated, more firmly.

"Well, shall we head out?" Jughead offered, "I think Jellybean is being dropped off around nine."

Alice nodded, "I was thinking the kids could spruce up your place while I cooked us all some breakfast. I'm sure you'd just like to put your feet up for a while before Jellybean arrives, right FP?"

Alice was rambling; FP knew Ali used to do this when she was nervous. _That_ and get defensive. He smirked.

" _What_?" she snapped warily, his smile unsettling to her. Defensive _like that_ , FP thought with pride.

He smiled, "Nothing, Alice. That sounds perfect, thank you."  
"Yes, thank you Mrs. Cooper. You're a real life saver," Jughead said, the shock apparent in his voice. He was confused as to why Betty's mom was suddenly being so kind. _This must be what it is like to have your mother die_ , he thought. Betty squeezed his hand.

"Thanks mom," she agreed.

The four of them shuffled into the station wagon and Alice drove swiftly back towards FP's trailer. The thirty-minute drive felt like an eternity; Alice could have sworn FP's hot gaze was burning holes through her powder blue cable knit sweater. She gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles turning white. She glanced toward FP, their eyes both travelling toward the rearview mirror, noticing that both their children had dozed off – after all, it wasn't even eight in the morning yet. Re-entering Riverdale, the town was still dim with early morning sun.

FP reached over and squeezed her shoulder lightly, Alice visibly jumped.

"Sorry," FP chuckled softly. Alice let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding and sent FP an amused glare.

"Just wanted to make sure _you're_ okay, Cooper," he whispered, "You're gripping the steering wheel like you used to grip my-"

Alice shot him a stone-cold scowl.

"Motorcycle handlebars," he clarified, with a laugh.

Alice rolled her eyes and loosened her grip, "I'm fine…just worried about you and Jughead…and _Betty_ ," she clarified, putting emphasis on her daughter's name more than necessary.

" _You_ are worried about _me_?"

Alice shot him a worried glance and nodded.

" _Gladys_ ," Alice murmured, "I _know_ you loved her, even though…"

-"She's the mother to my children, Ali," FP interrupted, "I wanted us to be a family. I _always_ wanted us to be a family. But she knew I couldn't fully…because…" FP trailed off. They both knew what he meant. "Any way," he continued, "it wasn't meant to be and I wasn't at my best with her, I know," he paused, looking out the window.

"FP?" Alice urged him to continue.

"I haven't seen my daughter in years, Alice," he said sadly, "I just came out of _prison_ in order to care for my children and…I haven't truly looked after them since they were young. I don't know how to do this…"

Alice paused and before she thought better of it, her right hand left the steering wheel and she placed it on his thigh. She squeezed gently, her white manicured fingers stark against his dark wash jeans.

"You _do_ know how," she assured him, "And whatever you need, _I'm_ here."

He eyed her with confusion, grasping her hand and placing onto her own thigh. He kept both their hands there but his demeanor had turned slightly sour.

"That's not fair," he whispered coolly, "You're _married_ …to Hal."

Alice hummed non-committedly. They were both silent for a moment. Alice slipped her hand from FP's and placed it back on the wheel. His hand remained on her thigh.

"I must have missed the part where I said anything about betraying Hal…" she said, her voice cracking.

They both glanced down toward his hand and then eyed each other. Alice quickly turned her attention back towards the road, FP's gaze finally settling on her panting chest. He hadn't even noticed they'd pulled into the trailer park.

"We're here," she said loudly enough to hopefully wake the children but mainly loudly enough to disturb FP. FP removed his hand quickly (and reluctantly) as if he'd been burned.

Betty startled awake, removing her head from her boyfriend's shoulder.

"Whoops, must have dozed off," she yawned.

Jughead opened his eyes…but he had been awake the whole time.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: This chapter is a little different because it's in Jughead's POV. Let me know how you like it (or maybe don't like it) with a quick review!

Xx Kate

Jughead exited the car behind Betty but his mind was reeling with new information – _Mrs. Cooper and his dad?_ They had clearly dated in the past and _no one_ had bothered to mention it to neither him nor Betty...Or maybe Betty knew and didn't want to tell him? _What was going on?_ Jughead was fuming. He eyed his father suspiciously as he and Betty headed towards the trailer. He glanced back to the car to see Alice rummaging through the back seat. When he returned his gaze towards the trailer, he noticed FP was staring right at Alice. _This cannot be happening…_ he thought sullenly.

"What's she doing?" FP asked. Jughead frowned and shrugged. Betty was already at the front door, waiting to be let in.

"Dad," Jughead gestured toward the door, "Got the keys?"

FP immediately ripped his gaze from Betty's mother and cleared his throat.

"Yeah, yeah," he mumbled, digging around in his pockets.

Alice then appeared next to them with a brown grocery bag in tow, "Brought stuff to make pancakes!" She announced.

"Oh perfect, I'm starved!" FP replied, turning towards the door to let everyone into the trailer.

"I bet you are, Mr. Jones," Betty smiled. They all filed into the small space.

The trailer was dim and slightly cluttered but Jughead had been trying to keep it clean for his father in the event he ever did return from prison, so at least it smelled all right. He actually never thought the day would come…at least not so soon. It was bittersweet – his father was home now, but not under the best of circumstances. His mother was dead and he had yet to shed a single tear. When he had gotten the call the night before, he had been with Betty and the first feeling that had crept up had honestly been that of anger, betrayal, hurt…. He had been wary of letting Betty see that reaction because weren't you supposed to feel sadness? Despair? Most normal people would. _Betty_ would. But Jughead was different and his relationship with his mother had been less than…loving.

"Did they feed you well behind bars, FP?" Alice's teasing voice pulled him from his thoughts. She was making herself right at home, setting the grocery bag on the counter, emptying its contents one-by-one. She had even produced an apron from her bag, slipped it over her head, and tied it around her waist. Jughead furrowed his eyebrows at her; he had always had trouble keeping his emotions from showing on his face.

"Was alright," FP shrugged with a smirk, sitting down at a barstool in front of her, "But I was craving one of those pies you make the whole time, Alice," he said.

Jughead watched their exchange with his newfound knowledge and it shook him to his core. He looked towards his girlfriend to see if she was picking up on the obvious chemistry between their parents but she was simply smiling obliviously.

"Wow," Betty laughed, " _Really?_ You've only had her pie the one time, the night of the dance! Must have really made an impression, mom."

Jughead watched FP and Alice exchange a quick, almost imperceptible look, conveying something with just their eyes. Betty didn't seem to notice that either. Jughead was squirming out of his skin.

"Yeah," FP hummed, "It really made an impression…"

Alice visibly reddened, "Well! I'll have to bring one over for you and the kids some other time…but for now, pancakes!"

She had laid out all the ingredients at that point. Jughead watched as she turned towards the cupboards and was just about to reach for where they kept the bowls before she stopped and swiveled around, "Are the bowls up here?" she asked, her eyes wide.

FP cleared his throat loudly, "Yep, yes they are," he replied.

Betty linked arms with Jughead and smirked, "My mom is at home in _any_ kitchen," she laughed. They all chuckled in response…besides Jughead.

"You know what," Jughead interrupted, "Betty and I are going to go tidy the room, I'm assuming JB will sleep in the bed, right dad?"

FP nodded, "Of course, son."

Jughead immediately pulled Betty into the hallway with a more than necessary harsh tug.

"Ow! Jughead what the-" Betty complained. Jughead put his finger up to his lips to silence her. He wordlessly gestured for her to stay still against the hallway wall before he walked over to the bedroom door opened it and then shut it – loud, without walking inside. Betty looked beyond confused.

" _What's going on?"_ she mouthed, her voice barely a whisper. Jughead pulled her back towards the entrance of the hallway and brought his lips to her ear, " _Listen_."

The two teens stood in silence, only feet from the entrance to the kitchen, but still out of sight. They heard FP's voice first.

"What do you suppose they're doing back there?" He asked, a hint of laughter in his tone. There was a moment of silence before they heard Alice's response.

"Tidying the room, FP, like they said…"

"You don't really believe that, Ali," FP's voice was low and gravely.

" _Yes_ , I do. Our children aren't _us_ , FP," she responded quickly, nervous energy radiated from her voice.

Betty's head whipped towards Jughead. Her eyes were wide with confusion and Jughead immediately knew…she hadn't known, either.

"Us Jones men cannot help but be entranced by the Cooper women…I don't blame Jughead…" FP's voice was muted and sultry, but they still could hear every word. Betty looked at Jughead in horror.

They could not hear Alice's response. They waited a moment and were both startled by a girlish giggle that Betty could hardly believe came from her mother. Alice Cooper did not _giggle_.

"Stop staring, FP," Alice murmured.

"I'm sorry, its just nostalgia…watching you… it's bringing me back to when we used to make breakfast together…"

"I would hardly call pouring a bowl of cereal-"

-"And then we'd eat it over here," he interrupted, "and afterward…we would…over here…" They could hear the smile in his voice and it made them both feel sick.

There was silence from Betty's mother. Betty grabbed Jughead's arm and gripped it, digging her fingernails into his skin. She gave Jughead a look and without saying anything Jughead knew Betty wanted to confront their parents. Jughead shook his head but Betty had other ideas; she let go of Jughead's arm and was just about to reveal their presence when a series of three resounding knocks from the door caused her to jump back into Jughead's chest.

Jughead steadied her, "That's my sister…" he said. And with one look he conveyed to his girlfriend that this was most definitely not the time to confront their parents.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Happy Holidays everyone!

Alice held her breath as she watched both FP and Jughead bound to the front door. Betty appeared and joined her behind the stove. Alice's heart was beating wildly but she tried to ground herself in the moment by grabbing Betty's hand. Her daughter eyed her warily- an expression she couldn't quite read. Perhaps she was just as nervous…

"They're so excited," Alice whispered to her, grinning, trying to fane excitement. Betty didn't match her enthusiasm and simply nodded solemnly. Alice didn't have time to address her daughter's odd behavior because a small, waif-like girl with long, dark brown hair wearing knee high rainbow socks, a black jean jacket, an oversized band t-shirt and Doc Martins was now standing alone in the doorway. Her huge brown eyes were filling with tears; she shoved her hands deep in her pockets, staring hesitantly at the two men in front of her. Alice and Betty watched as FP and Jughead paused only a moment before taking turns enveloping in huge bear hugs.

"Jellybean, we've missed you so much," Jughead told his sister.

"Where are your grandparents? I thought they would be dropping you off," FP asked before she could respond.

They all peered out the open doorway at the car that was driving off down the road.

"They didn't want to come in," she said simply, "too hard with mom gone."

FP nodded and pulled her into another hug, "Well I'm glad they let you come back, here, Jellybean, I wasn't sure they ever would," FP admitted. That statement broke Alice's heart. She knew FP for the kind-hearted man he was at his core. She knew he wanted nothing more than to be a good father to his kids…

"I go by JB now," the girl said, shoving her hands in her pockets again. The harshness to the girl's voice jarred Alice and FP looked slightly wounded but attempted to recover.

"Of course!" FP replied a little more eagerly than necessary.

The girl smiled awkwardly and rocked back on her heels. The dark haired trio lingered in silence a moment before finally turning their attention to the blond pair in the kitchen.

"Who are the Malibu Barbie's?" JB deadpanned. The statement caught them both off-guard but Betty stepped forward and gave a slight wave and a self-conscious laugh. Alice suddenly wished she were anywhere else. _Why was she here again?_ This was so clearly a family affair and she was so clearly…not family. She was sure her face was fifty shades of red. She let Betty step in front her.

"Oh! JB, sorry, this is my girlfriend, Betty!" Jughead said, trying to salvage the situation.

" _Okay_ ," JB said slowly, hardly offering Betty a greeting, "So is _that_ dad's girlfriend then?" she asked, pointing a long finger toward Alice.

" _No!"_ All four of them shouted together.

Alice stepped forward smiling weakly, "No, honey. I'm Alice Cooper, Betty's mom. We met when you were tiny but you wouldn't remember..."

"She made pancakes!" FP offered fervently, holding up the plate of steaming hot, sweet smelling rounds.

The girl frowned at Alice quite specifically, ignoring her father. "I have a gluten intolerance," she mumbled.

Alice's face fell, "I could make eggs," she proposed quickly, "I'm sorry, sweetie, I should have made more options…"

A dark look washed over JB's face and she knit her eyebrows together standoffishly, "I don't need you to cook me anything _Mrs._ _Cooper_ ," she said, clipping her words.

Alice glanced to FP, his wide eyes matched hers but all he could give her was a shrug.

Alice wiped her hands on her apron and pasted on a grin, "You're right," she said quietly, "I don't know what I'm doing here, I should probably be going any way…" She said more to herself than anyone, she flushed and blinked back a few tears. Betty couldn't remember a time she had ever seen her mother look more uncomfortable. Alice normally had a way of fitting into (or forcing herself into) every possible situation. She felt a pang of sympathy for her mother.  
"Mom-" Betty started.

Alice held up a hand, "No, no, Betty, it's fine. I think Jughead could probably drop you off later," she suggested with a lighthearted tone. She began to scurry around the room packing up her belongings. FP was still standing speechless in the corner.  
"Yeah, that's no problem at all, Mrs. Cooper," Jughead assured trying to ease the awkwardness of the situation.

JB crossed her arms over her chest and everyone stared at Alice unnervingly as she made her way to the door. FP suddenly lunged, grabbing ahold of the doorknob. He made meaningful eye contact with the stunned blonde.

"Let me walk you out, Alice," he said. She nodded quickly.

"Welcome home, JB," Alice murmured as she slipped out the door, FP following closely behind.

When they were finally alone on the front porch, Alice let out a tense whimper.

"Oh god, that was _horrible_ ," she cried, covering her face with her hands, " _So stupid_ , why did I think I should come?" She chided herself.

" _Ali_ ," was all he could say, shaking his head in disbelief. Their eyes met and she bowed her head. His hand came up to tuck her fallen hair behind her ear. She flinched, grabbing onto the railing of the trailer. She held on for support as his warm hand cupped his cheek.

"Things are so complicated," he sighed, "Those kids are so clearly broken; they've lost their mother, and I…I feel better when you're by my side," he admitted sheepishly.

"Our children _clearly_ don't…and why would they? We are strangers to each other for all they know," she reminded him, her voice breaking with emotion, "I just wanted…to be there for you because I know I wasn't before…"

Before she could finish, FP's strong arm was enveloping her waist and he was pulling her into his side and Alice couldn't breathe and her hand was grabbing the back of his head through no power of her own. She nestled into his neck and FP breathed deeply into her hair. It was the most intimate they had been in twenty years. They parted, slightly breathless.

"I want you around, Alice," FP said shrugging, as if it was that simple.

"FP-"

"I want you around," he said again to make sure she understood, "even if I can't touch you... I'll explain to the kids that we were friends… _are_ friends," he continued.

"I don't know if that will work, FP. I've got my family and you've got yours…two different worlds…"

There was a moment of silence between the couple. Alice wanted to run – she wanted to flee from the tension but FP's vulnerable face was holding her in place.

"Please, Alice. I _need_ you," he said finally.

And just like that, Alice Cooper was pulled back in by FP Jones.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I know this story is a slow burn, but I hope it's still keeping people's interest…

Let me know!

Xx Kate

She hasn't seen FP in a week but he's been texting her every day since she left his trailer. In retrospect, she isn't entirely sure how he even got her number but she supposes that's irrelevant now any way. He's been asking her advice – _after all, she's raised two girls and knows a thing or two about parenting hormonal teens_ , or so he reminded her any way. She had replied that _given how her eldest daughter was currently pregnant and her youngest was dating a "bad boy" from the wrong side of town – did he really want her advice_? She'd done a winky-face to indicate she was only kidding. He'd responded immediately – _LOL_. Alice had smiled unintentionally, setting her phone down without responding. She bit her lip - texting at their age? _Really?_ The thought made her turn off her phone until the next morning, ashamed at the immaturity she'd stooped to.

But then FP had texted her again the following day – _**FP: 911**_

" _Damn it, FP,"_ she'd said aloud.

 _ **Alice: What's wrong?**_

 _ **FP: At the grocery store and passed the…feminine hygiene products. Do you think JB needs…something?**_

Alice had laughed out loud, almost choking on the coffee she had been sipping.

 _ **Alice: I think you have another year or so until you have to worry about that**_

 _ **FP: phew.**_

After that, Alice had come to expect a buzz from her phone indicating another message from FP at least four times a day – once in the morning before the children all headed off to school, once again when it was almost time to pick them up, one around dinner time, and then one just before her head hit the pillow at night. Most of the texts were questions about parenting – the night one though, was sometimes just a red heart emoji or _**sweet dreams, Ali.**_

The questions he would ask her ranged from simple things like:

 **FP:** _ **She wants to watch Game of Thrones…Too much for a 10 year old?**_

 _ **Alice: Hell yes, too much!**_

…to more complex…

 **FP:** _ **She's texting a boy…I'm almost 100% sure. Too soon for the sex talk?**_

 **Alice:** _ **never too soon…**_

Alice told herself it was what any decent person would do – FP was an old friend and he needed her help… _his wife had just died for Christ sake_. That's what she would tell Hal if he ever asked, anyway. She had the speech all prepared for if and when her husband confronted her…it's not as if she'd been hiding it. It wasn't an affair, it wasn't a secret… _it wasn't wrong to help a friend in a time of trouble,_ she'd planned to say if Hal ever saw FP's name flash on her mobile.

 _It's not wrong…_

But he never looked. Hadn't looked at her phone. Hadn't even looked at her, really.

Hal had been avoiding her for the same amount of time she'd been busy texting FP. They'd been sleeping in the same bed, eating in the same kitchen, breathing the _same air_ for the past seven days but he hadn't once acknowledged her existence. She could have done jumping jacks _naked_ and he wouldn't have batted an eyelash. Normally, Alice would have said something by now – she wasn't one to let things fester and she _never_ swept anything under the rug. She was the type of woman who always dealt with things head on and she and Hal were the type of couple who never had to guess as to what the other was thinking – they had always just… _said_ it, or _did_ it (or threw bricks through windows). Passive aggressive just wasn't their thing…until now. Now, Alice was afraid to ask Hal what was wrong – partly because she knew the answer and didn't have a convincing justification on her part and partly because if she didn't say it out loud it didn't seem like realty. Like her reality, anyway…

Her feelings for another man had returned… _or perhaps they had never left?_ It was a life altering realization and Alice thought, irrationally, that if she didn't share the thought aloud that it _kinda_ _sorta_ made it a little less… _real_?

 _Buzz_

Alice was lying in bed letting her thoughts roll over in her mind (as she'd been doing for the past few nights) when her phone jolted on the bedside table. She didn't have to check whom it was from and she _really_ didn't even need to check what it said. 50% chance it said _**Sweet Dreams, Ali**_ and 50% chance it was a simple (but effective) heart emoji.

She eyed her phone and then she eyed her husband, who had his laptop out, but seemed to be only dismally staring at the screen. She looked back and forth a second time, weighing her options. She'd carelessly replied to FP's texts every other night in front of her husband but the guilt was beginning to build.

"Gonna answer your boyfriend?" – Her husband rough voice jarred her from her thoughts.

"W-what?"

Alice stared at Hal, dumbfounded.

"FP," he said blandly without looking up from his screen, "aren't you going to reply to him?" he repeated.

Tears formed at the corners of Alice's eyes and she blinked them back furiously.

" _I'm sorry_ ," she gulped, her voice coming out in a hoarse whisper. It was the only thing she could really say.

"So it's true, then?" he asked, finally turning to her. His eyes were empty.

She bit her lip.

"I was digging," he admitted, "I didn't know for sure, but I just had this feeling. Husband's intuition I guess…"

"I didn't cheat on you," Alice said quickly. The "convincing" argument she had thought up earlier seemed irrational now.

Hal frowned. "Alice, that's –

-"But I've thought about it every day for the past week…and I suppose that's just the same, isn't it?"

"It is," he agreed, "and I…I think you should sleep elsewhere tonight."

Alice's face fell, and just like that a flip was switched from remorseful to wrathful "Like _where_? _FP's_?" Her blood was suddenly boiling. Twenty plus years of marriage…she had (unfairly) expected a little more of a fight from Hal.

"No…" He responded with a shrug. Alice was hearing none of it.

"You're pushing me into his arms now? Just like that, then?" she continued, flinging the sheets from her body.

"I was thinking more of on the couch, Alice…you know…like _you_ made _me_ do," he stated coolly, Alice stopped dead in her tracks.

Hal folded his arms over his chest, knowing he had the upper hand and fully willing and ready to wield it.

She scowled and he took that opportunity to continue, "But sounds like if your boyfriend has a spot next to him in his _dirty trailer bed_ , you should go take it, Alice," he sneered.

"Maybe I will," she said, just as nastily, grabbing her phone from the bedside table.

"Don't bring back bed bugs," she heard him say under his breath as she slammed the door behind her.

Alice grabbed a pair of rain boots (the nearest to the door), threw on a parka that would at least cover most of her silky nightgown, and headed for the car. Starting it, she immediately knew she could not go to FP's. That would cross I line she was not ready to even approach. A drive around the block was all she needed.

Minutes later, though, she found herself at the gas station, instead.

"What am I doing here?" she mumbled to herself. _But she knew._

She headed inside, ignoring the stare from Mr. Smith, the regular cashier, who had owned the station for as long as she could remember. When her girls were younger, Mr. Smith had habitually brought out lollipops for both Betty and Polly while Alice or Hal pumped gas.

"Mrs. Cooper," he greeted.

Alice nodded in acknowledgement and cleared her throat, "pack of Marlboro Lights," she mumbled. Mr. Smith leaned towards her awkwardly as if he couldn't quite hear so Alice pointed towards the cigarettes with a quick jab of her finger.

"Oh, yeah, no problem, Mrs. Cooper," he bumbled, quickly scanning a pack and handing it over to her outstretched manicured fingers.

"Thanks," she mumbled, turning to leave.

"Alice?" Mr. Smith called out before she made it to the door.

Alice turned, " _what?"_ she snapped.

"You forgot to pay…"

Alice's face softened, "Sorry…"

She closed her eyes and reached around for her purse before realizing she hadn't bothered to bring it in her hasty exit from the house.

" _Shit!"_ She muttered. She marched back up to the counter in embarrassment, practically throwing the pack of cigarettes back towards the register, "Forgot my purse," she explained sheepishly.

Mr. Smith looked shocked but also slightly amused, a gentle smile playing at his lips. He clucked and retrieved the pack, secretly finding enjoyment watching the perfectly tailored Mrs. Cooper so clearly unraveling before him. Alice huffed and turned to leave but Mr. Smith called out her name again.

"It's on me, tonight," he said carefully, extending his hand and the pack towards her.

She bit her lip and then before thinking better of it, retrieved the pack and stuffed it rashly into the pocket of her parka, "thank you," she muttered, exiting quickly.

She took a moment, outside the door, breathing in the cold night air.

"Just one," she told herself, pulling out a small white stick from the pack. She brought it to her lips before realizing she did not have a lighter.

"Shit, shit, _shit_ ," she muttered.

"Need a light?" A small, feminine voice called from a bench a few feet away, causing Alice to jump.

She turned and recognized the girl immediately – _"JB?"_


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Happy New Year, everyone!

Writing gives me the most joy and this year I'm going to try my hardest to make time for more joy in my life.

(Reviews also bring me joy…just sayin'…)

Xx Kate

– " _JB?"_

The girl smirked – dark eyes met light.

" _Mrs. Cooper."_

The ten-year-old attempted to match the woman's superior tone.

Alice frowned, lowering the cigarette from her lips warily.

"What are you doing here, JB?"

She fought the urge to check her phone; suddenly realizing that FP's text message from earlier may not have been so benign. He was probably worried sick about his daughter, she reasoned, her mind reeling. _What was a girl so young doing out so late?_ FP was in way over his head. He needed far more help than meager advice from afar, Alice realized.

The girl shrugged. "I could ask _you_ the same question," she said, pointing to the white stick still dangling from Alice's manicured fingers.

"Don't be a smart ass, young lady," Alice chided, surprising not only JB, but also herself with her response.

JB grinned and let out a small giggle, "I think I was very wrong about you…"

Alice folded her arms over her chest, she refused to let a girl a quarter her age have the upper hand – but JB was a deadly combination of her parents, Alice could see already – both witty and dangerously smart.

"In what way?"

"You seemed like one of those bullshit fairytale princesses before…all perfect and sweet," JB shrugged, "But I think I kind of understand now why my dad is so infatuated by you. Under all that pink silk you're kind of a badass, aren't you?"

Alice watched JB's expression change from amusement to curiosity and she was suddenly reminded of herself at that age. She remembered how the thought of danger used to light her up as well. She also remembered how much trouble that same inquisitiveness had got her in, how much she had tried to steer her own children from that world. She felt the same instinct to protect FP's child, now.

"Think what you want about me, JB, but I'm _just_ a mom and I think that you should…"

The girl rolled her eyes, "Not _my_ mom," she interrupted, "so don't try."

"I know that I'm not your mother, JB. I'm not trying to be. But your father is a very good friend of mine…"

JB scoffed, " _friend_ , _huh_?"

"Yes, _friend_ , Alice confirmed, "and he's probably very worried about you right now. I'm sure he doesn't know that you're here…am I right?"

"No he doesn't… but he doesn't care…"

JB lowered her head and busied herself fiddling with the dark gloves she was wearing. Alice's heart broke for her.

Alice took a seat next to the girl, half expecting her to bolt – she didn't.

"He _does_ care," Alice spoke gently, "he cares so much more than you know, JB."

The girl's dark eyes settled on Alice – startling her more than she cared to admit. They were _so_ dark. _So_ lost. She recognized herself in them.

"He doesn't," she insisted, "and don't pretend like you know _him_. Don't pretend you know _me_ or my life or what it's like to have your world ripped to pieces, okay? You clearly don't." JB was crying now, her face remained stoic but tears streamed steadily down her face. Alice fought the urge to wipe them with the sleeves of her parka.

Alice was silent for a moment, just nodding. She held up the cigarette abruptly.

"Still have that light?" she asked, her voice cracking.

JB furrowed her eyebrows, Alice's response not at all what she'd expected. She nodded hesitantly and pulled a lighter from her pocket. She lit Alice's cigarette and the pair remained in a moment more of silence as Alice took a long drag.

"My mom took her own life when I was just a few years younger than you," Alice said finally.

JB's wet eyes shot up to meet Alice's own.

"And my dad was in and out of prison at the time…we lived on the Southside just like you, JB," Alice admitted.

JB couldn't hide her shock, "You _did_?" She turned her whole body towards the woman, tucking one leg under herself to get a better angle – for the second time that night, she saw Alice Cooper in a whole different light.

Alice nodded, tucking a stray hair behind her ears, angling herself toward JB as well. She felt suddenly very self-conscious. She didn't talk about her family very often, hadn't even told her own girls. Betty and Polly thought their grandparents had both died in a fire trying to save the family dog. Alice had painted them as heroes – they were far from them.

Alice nodded in response, "That's how I met your dad. We grew up together. Not many people know where I come from and what I've been through…but your dad does…"

"And now _I_ do?" It came out as a timid question, revealing JB's youth and innocence.

"And now you do," Alice confirmed.

The dark haired girl smiled sadly, wiping her eyes with the back of her glove, "why'd you tell me all that?"

"Because I wanted you to know that you don't have to be alone in this. Like I said before, I'm not your mom…no one can ever replace her. But when I was your age going through what I was going through, I think things would have been very different if I'd had someone to talk to who understood me…"

JB shifted so that she was sitting back with her feet planted on the ground. She sniffed and fixed her eyes on her boots, "that's how it normally works for Malibu Barbie, isn't it?"

-"What?"

JB met Alice's eyes, "You give some perfect speech to the downtrodden, dark girl and suddenly it fixes everything and life's sparkles and rainbows, again?"

Alice couldn't help but let out a chuckle. It was exactly what a younger version of herself would have said.

"That's exactly right," Alice responded sarcastically.

JB stood up abruptly, turning to face Alice. "Well it's not going to happen, Blondie," she said, a faint smile playing at the corner of her lips even though she was scowling and attempting to appear tough as nails.

"Got it, Wednesday Adams," Alice replied, letting the small girl tower over her.

JB turned quickly on her heels as to avoid Alice witnessing her grin.

"Where are you going?"

JB gathered her composure and turned back around, "Come on, you're driving me home…aren't you?"


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Thank you so much to my regular reviewers – deuxieme-etoile-a-droite, TheXtremeFangirl, and Boris Yelstin – I love you guys and you are the ones who keep me updating!

Xx Kate

FP Jones was racing out of the trailer before Alice even had the chance to put the car in park. He flung open the passenger side door and practically yanked JB out before she was able to unbuckle her seatbelt.

" _Where have you been?!"_ FP was pulling her into an embrace that the girl clearly wanted no part of. She wiggled free from his grasp and stood her ground.

"Nowhere, dad, jeez…" she sneered.

FP folded his arms over his chest, "Why do you smell like cigarettes young lady?"

JB shrugged and her eyes darted towards the older woman. FP glanced over JB's shoulder and eyed Alice warily, "Has she been with you the whole time?" His face contorted with displeasure.

"What? No, FP-"

"What have you two been doing?" he snapped, striding towards Alice hastily. Alice subconsciously backed up a few feet as FP came closer. She crossed her arms over her chest in defense.

"I'm going inside," JB called, not wanting to stick around to witness her father berate Alice Cooper. The woman had done her a favor tonight and she was slowly earning her respect, but JB didn't feel like she needed to come to her defense quite yet, she figured letting her own mistake fall on Betty's mother wouldn't be the worst thing she'd ever done. She disappeared quickly into the trailer.

"I've been calling and texting you for over an hour, Alice, what gives?"

This was news to Alice; her eyes widened and her face reddened.

"I seriously had no idea you'd been trying to get ahold of me…I'm sorry, FP. I only found JB less than thirty minutes ago, and completely by chance. She was at Brown's Gas Station…"

FP's eyes finally softened, he dragged hand over his face and took a deep breath, "Sorry…" he mumbled, "I didn't mean to attack you like that…I was just…"  
"Worried," Alice finished, "Yeah…get used to it. That's what it's like to be a parent. Every single day," she chuckled, reaching out to grip his upper arm.

FP sighed in relief at the contact and placed his hand over Alice's to keep it there.

"Does it get better?"

"Never," Alice responded without hesitation, "Since the day Polly and Betty were born, it has been as if my own heart is being carried around outside of my body. When they hurt, I hurt. When I don't know where they are…I don't know where _I_ am," she explained.

FP bit his lip and looked down, kicking at the dirt under his boots.  
"That's exactly how I felt these last few hours…I just lost it. I don't know how to parent her; I'm out of my league here, Ali. Jughead is so easy comparatively."

Alice's eyes sank, "I've heard boys are generally easier, but I wouldn't know…" her voice caught in her throat and she cleared it quickly. FP caught the sadness in her eyes and frowned.

"You okay, Ali?"

"Yeah, of course," Alice recovered quickly, pulling at the collar of her parka.

FP finally took notice of her attire, then and grinned in amusement. Her blonde hair was piled high on her head; a few tendrils framed her face. She wore no make-up, a white parka with a furry white hood, her pink silk nightgown visible just below her knees, and pink rain boots to complete the look. Her cheeks were pink from the cold, her lips perfectly pouty and kissable. FP fought the urge to pull her into his arms, she was so damn cute and he was finding it increasingly difficult to resist his urges.

"What are you looking at, FP?" Alice asked, a smile in her voice. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, self-consciously.

"Only you, Alice Cooper, could manage to make that outfit look sexy." His voice was low and gravely and heat rushed to Alice's core. She blushed furiously.

"Shut up, FP," she murmured, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth.  
He grinned like a young boy and shoved his hands into his pockets to keep from grabbing her face and pulling it to his.

"Can I tell you a secret, FP?"

"Of course…"

"I've been thinking about you nonstop for the last week…" Alice admitted, blushing more than she'd ever thought possible.

"Can you tell you a secret, Ali?"

"Of course," she giggled.

"I've been thinking about you nonstop for the last twenty five years."

FP's admission wiped the smiles from both their faces and the couple stood in tense silence. Alice could have sworn her heart was beating loud enough for FP to hear.

"I want you to kiss me," she confessed suddenly, her voice hardly above a whisper.

FP glanced towards the trailer and frowned, "We can't…I can't do that to my kids, Alice…and you can't do that to your family, either."

Alice let out a breath she'd been holding but it came out as a whimper, "I know."

"Maybe I was wrong…" FP started, his voice trailing off.

"Wrong about what?"

"I thought that I could be close to you, be friends with you, without _more_ …but, it's too hard. I can't help but _want_ you, Alice, and it's _killing_ me..."

"Me too," she sighed.

The two exchanged a look that said everything they couldn't utter out loud. A tear escaped Alice's eye and she wiped it away hastily.

"So I guess this is goodbye?"

FP's face remained stoic but his posture had withered, "I guess it is…"


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing!

"Was that _Alice_?" Jughead asked as soon as FP returned to the trailer. He was perched on a bar stool, pen and paper in hand. JB was sulking nearby on the couch, pretending to also be preoccupied with her journal, writing furiously.

FP looked back and forth between his children, the vibe not settling well with him. Both children had intense scowls etched into their foreheads.

"Yeah, it was…" he answered Jughead, "she found JB at Brown's gas station of all places." He turned his attention toward JB. Both men awaited her response, waiting for her to further explain the situation. She continued to write. They continued to wait.

JB finally sensed their heated gazes and slowly glanced up, "…Is Alice coming in?" she asked slowly. FP cocked his eyebrow in confusion; JB's response was not what he'd been expecting.

"Uhhh…" He faltered.

"Of course she's not, JB," Jughead answered for him. He hopped down from the barstool and crossed the room to join his sister on the couch. He plucked her journal hastily from her hands.

"Hey!"

"What were you doing at a gas station all alone at this time of night? Dad and I were really worried," he said, shifting his eyes up towards his father and giving him a meaningful glare. With this look he was clearly communicating that these were the questions FP was supposed to be asking. FP got the message.

JB didn't answer her brother, instead crossing her arms over her chest; FP took this as an opportunity to take over the interrogation.

"We've talked about this JB…I'm not trying to keep you as a prisoner here. If there are places you want to go and things you want to do, just ask Juggie or me, we would have happily ran you down to the gas station if you needed something…"

JB smirked, "So you would have gotten me a pack of cigarettes and a case of beer?"

Jughead sighed heavily as their father simultaneously barked out a quick _, "No!"_

JB laughed in response, "I'm kidding…well, kind of," she continued, "I _tried_ to buy that stuff, but I should have known in this god awful town that even the gas station owner would know who I am…"

"Thank god for Mr. Brown," Jughead muttered.

FP was not about to falter. "But I did smell smoke on you, JB, I'm not an idiot. Who did you get to buy some for you?"

" _Oh, no,_ dad _,"_ JB responded with false dramatics, "It wasn't _me_ who was smoking. It was your lover, Barbie Cooper."

" _Betty?_ " FP clarified incredulously, assuming his daughter was referring to Jughead's girlfriend, "I didn't know Betty smoked, no wonder Alice was there, she must have known and-"

\- " _Dad_ ," JB interrupted, "I said _your_ lover…"

"Yeah, Betty _doesn't_ smoke," Jughead added defensively.

FP stood still for a moment just staring back and forth between his two children. The looks on their faces told him that they knew something that he did not. He had no idea how to respond or how to move forward in this situation. He, irrationally, wished that Alice were by his side to address this conversation together.

"If you're referring to Alice Cooper, JB," FP started cautiously, "I have to correct you because we're not…"

-"Cut the crap, dad," JB interrupted again, "First of all, you'd have to be deaf and blind not to see the chemistry between you two. I pretty much knew from the moment I stepped foot into this trailer. And second of all, I heard Juggie and Betty talking the other day, they know you used to date and I'm convinced you still are," she paused, plucking her journal back from her stunned brother's hands, "And if you _aren't_ , well then, you're at the very least still head over heels in love with her," she finished coolly.

"I-I'm-" FP stuttered, "Jughead, is that true? How do you and Betty know that?"

Jughead shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets, "I heard you two in the car on the way back from the prison," he admitted.

FP sighed, taking a seat in between his two children. He dragged his hand slowly over his face and let his palm rest on his forehead for a moment.

"I don't know what to say…"

Tears were threatening to spill from the grown man's eyes and he attempted to hold them at bay by squeezing the bridge of his nose. Jughead sat back against the couch in stunned silence. He had never seen his dad this emotional about anything before. Inside, he was torn and struggling with how to feel.

"Just come clean, dad. Do you love her?" JB asked. Jughead held his breath, waiting for his dad's reply. It didn't come immediately so JB continued.  
"I can't speak for Juggie, but if you did love Alice, I would understand…"  
 _"You would?"_ Jughead asked from the opposite side of the couch, making stupefied eye contact with his sister over his dad's shoulders.

"You would…?" FP asked, slowly lifting his head from his hands.

"I know Jughead is dating Betty, so it would be weird… but dad," JB paused, placing her hand on her dad's shoulder, "the only times I've seen you smile in the last week are when you're texting her, I saw the way you looked at her last week and again tonight. I may be young but I'm not an idiot…plus, even though she truly does look like a Barbie, I saw a different side of her tonight and she's actually pretty cool…"

FP smiled slowly, "She is, isn't she?"

JB nodded, matching her dad's smile.

" _Wait_ ," Jughead interjected, "dad, you still haven't admitted anything. So you're confirming that you and Mrs. Cooper used to date…but are you really still in love with her?"

FP turned towards his son, his face conveying how sorry he was, Jughead knew what was coming.

"Yes, Jughead. I'm still in love with Alice Cooper…I never stopped being in love with her…"


	12. Chapter 12

Jughead's middle-of-the-night phone call had jarred Betty from her peaceful slumber. He'd been frantic; she'd scarcely been able to make out what he was saying.

" _My father's in love with your mother..."_

It was a revelation that (surprisingly) hardly shocked Betty considering what she'd overheard at FP's trailer only a week earlier. She'd tried to calm her boyfriend down, but Jughead was having none of it.

"My mom's barely cold in her grave, Betty, don't you understand? It's not just that this is _your_ mom we're talking about, it's that it feels like such a betrayal on so many levels," he'd explained, his voice several octaves higher than she'd ever heard it.

"Jughead, this doesn't have to change anything," she'd assured him, "My parents are still married. They aren't going to act on this…"

She'd said it but she wasn't entirely convinced herself. She knew her parents weren't happy in their relationship and she knew that she hadn't seen her mother as vibrant as when she'd been around FP. The last thing she wanted was her boyfriend's father involved with her mother, but something told her it was much more complicated than that…

They'd hung up promising to meet in the morning. Betty was now too wired to sleep. She felt as if she was missing a piece of the puzzle. Something just wasn't sitting right with her, more than just being perturbed about a possible relationship between FP and Alice. There was more to the story, she just knew it. Their parents weren't telling them something.

After several minutes of unsuccessfully trying to wish herself back into her peaceful slumber, she decided to go downstairs and make herself something warm to drink. What she hadn't expected was to find her mother, perched on a barstool at the kitchen island, sobbing silently over a steaming mug of her own.

"Mom…" Betty approached cautiously.

Alice's head shot up and she wiped her eyes hastily. Her face was so red and blotchy that Betty hardly recognized her.

"Oh, Betty!" she exclaimed, clearing her throat, "What are you doing up, honey?" her voice was scratchy and weak, so fragile that it made Betty fight the urge to engulf her mother in her arms. For a moment she forgot how frustrated she really was with her.

"I couldn't sleep," Betty mumbled. It wasn't a lie; it just wasn't the full truth. Betty wanted to see what she could get her mother to admit without accusing her of what she already knew.

Alice stood abruptly, "Me neither…do you want some warm milk? It's what I always used to make when you were younger…"

The look on Alice's face was breaking Betty's heart. She could see she would need to tread cautiously.

"What's in your mug?"

Alice's face reddened more than it already was, "Something stronger," she confessed.

Betty smiled faintly, "I'll have some milk…"

She took a seat next to where her mom had been sitting while Alice mulled around the kitchen, making her famous cup of steaming milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Betty fidgeted with her fingers and tried not to inhale the strong smell of alcohol radiating off her mother's mug. She could even smell the faintest whiff of cigarette smoke, but she chalked that up to being a trick of her mind.

Alice returned with the sweet smelling mug and set it in front of her daughter, taking a seat next to her as well. The pair sat in silence sipping their brews for a moment.

Finally Betty looked up, placing a gentle hand on her mother's bare arm; Alice refused to meet her daughter's eyes.

"What's going on, mom?"

Alice shook her head forcefully, "Nothing, baby," she choked out, her voice cracking, " _nothing_ ," she insisted more for herself than for Betty. She dissolved into tears again, _"I'm sorry…"_

Betty took her mother's hand and squeezed it gently, "clearly, _something_ , mom," Betty urged lightly, she wasn't going to give up that easily.

Alice shook her head again but more mildly and took a few deep breaths in order to stop herself from crying. She took a prolonged sip from her mug before speaking.

"There are things in my past, Betty, that I've really tried to forget. I've buried them so far down…and I've just tried to be the best mother for you and Polly and the best wife for your father…and I…"

Alice was starting to breathe rapidly, unable to finish her statement.

"It's okay, mom…" Betty pressed tenderly.

Alice nodded, inhaling deeply, "Remember when I told you about…your brother…?"

Betty's heart sped up, "How could I forget?"

"Well…he's just been on my mind a lot recently," Alice admitted, her voice faintly above a whisper. She continued hesitantly, "lately I've been reminded more and more of my past…and I feel like a part of me is…"

Suddenly, Alice's face turned apathetic, she glanced down at her mug and furrowed her eyebrows, "never mind, honey… _god_ , I shouldn't be telling you this, it's not your burden to bare, Elizabeth."

She went to stand but Betty grabbed her hand before she could turn away.

"Mom, _I know_ …"

Sapphire orbs met cobalt and time stood still.

"Elizabeth..?"

"I know about FP, mom," Betty continued, "I know that you used to be together…I know how you feel about him…or at least how he feels about you."

" _How…"_

"It doesn't matter how, I just _know_. And it's _okay_ …" Betty took both of her mother's hands in her own and Alice inhaled sharply, tears beginning to freely stream from the corners of her eyes.

"But mom, listen to me…I need you to start telling the truth here…"

Things were suddenly clicking into place for Betty. _FP…her mother…her father…Jughead…her brother?_

"What do you need to know, Betty…I'll try to explain…" Alice's words were coming out more like squeaks than anything Betty recognized as her mother's actual voice.

"My brother…is he…dad's son _or_ …"

Alice held her breath but didn't have to answer because behind her daughter suddenly stood her _husband_ and the look on his face told her that…there would be no more secrets.

"No," Hal spoke solemnly, causing Betty to whip around to face him.

"Dad…"

"Hal…"

" _No,"_ Hal said again, "He's not my son…"


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: okay…so when I started writing this chapter I literally had no idea where I was going to take it and…after just finishing it, I am in utter shock with myself. I think that this chapter eerily makes sense with canon and after you read it you can tell me if I'm completely wrong. I wouldn't blame you…it's a little nuts.

Enjoy!

Xx Kate

" _No," Hal said again, "He's not my son…"_

Both Betty and Alice stood to face Hal; all three of them now hovering in the doorway of the kitchen, uneasily.

"He's FP's son, isn't he?" Betty asked quickly, her blonde ponytail shaking along with her head. Her parents didn't answer and instead exchanged a look that she couldn't quite read. Betty didn't really need a direct answer to know the truth. All the pieces of the puzzle were coming together.

"I think it's time we had a real sit-down chat with Elizabeth, Alice," Hal said more to his wife than to his daughter. Betty's parents began to have conversation with just their eyes. Alice bit her lip and crossed her arms over her chest defensively. Hal stood his ground, raising his eyebrows and pursing his lips in response. He crossed his arms over his chest to match his wife's resolve. He clearly wasn't going to give up or give in. Not this time.

" _Hal…"_  
"She's old enough, now, Alice. And if Polly was here-"

"She's _not_ ," Alice interrupted begrudgingly.

"No, she's not," he agreed gently, "but if she was, I think she'd need to hear this, too. I am so goddamn tired of all the secrets in this family," Hal stated intensely. He seemed unwavering in his admissions, more intent and determined than Betty ever recalled seeing him in her whole life. His eyes were stone cold, his mouth fixed in a firm line. She glanced toward her mother whose eyes were desolate, whose mouth was downturned, deep crevices etched into her brow. Again, Betty had an overwhelming feeling that there was far more to the story than she originally thought.

" _Listen_ ," Alice turned towards Betty weakly, her voice catching in her throat. She glanced towards her husband and then back, "I'm sorry, _Betty_ , for keeping this from you…but nothing is going to happen with FP. That whole relationship was in the past and that's where it is going to stay…we're still a family. I'm still committed to your father," she finished and then turned back towards Hal who was shaking his head slowly, "is that what you wanted to hear?" Alice snapped.

"No…" Hal said slowly, " _No_ , Alice. You know perfectly well that's not the truth and that's _not_ even the point, really. But sure, just keep on weaving your web of lies, it's what you do best. The truth will come out eventually."

Hal's voice remained calm and tender, he seemed drained to Betty, dejected. She believed him and she wanted her mom to admit whatever truth he seemed to be referring to.

"Good lord, you're being dramatic, Hal," Alice dragged her hand over her face and pasted on a fake smile that didn't reach her eyes.

Hal smirked, _"Am I?"_

Alice huffed and balled her hands into fists at her side. She bit her lip to keep from letting the tears escape the corners of her eyes.

Hal shook his head gently and reached out to grip one of his wife's balled fists. She flinched but didn't pull away, instead she sighed deeply and turned her head to one side as if to ask her husband if she really had to do this. He nodded, urging her forward.

" _Fine,"_ Alice muttered stiffly, taking her seat again at the table. She clasped her hands together in front of her and looked down at them intently for a couple of moments before she continued. Betty and Hal took that moment to take the seats on each side of her.

Surrounded by her family, Alice felt the courage to begin.

"FP and I grew up together on the Southside. I didn't just _fall_ into the Southside Serpents…I was born into it. My parents and FP's parents practically ran the show. And back then, because of our two families, the Serpents were far darker than they are today…my father…"

Alice took a deep breath and a let out a shaky release. She glanced at Hal and shook her head.

"She needs to know, Alice," he urged.

Alice nodded, taking another deep breath, "My father," she continued, "was involved in…some criminal activity, he was always in and out of prison. My mother was very unstable – depressed, manic, unhinged…always threatening to harm herself and then _actually_ harming herself…I saved her more times than I can count…"

Tears were freely streaming down Alice's cheeks, now.

" _Mom_ …" Betty took her mother's hand and it gave Alice the courage to continue.

"Well, one day, Betty, I came home from staying at FP's and I found her…in the bathtub, in a pool of her own blood. She was gone…I hadn't been there to save her."

"I thought you said grandma and grandpa died in a house fire…" Betty whispered.

Alice shook her head, "I wanted to protect you and your sister from the truth…"

"But mom, we would have understood, you couldn't have helped that-"

"I'm not done, Elizabeth…that's not the worst of it," Alice shuttered.

This time it was Hal's turn to take a deep breath, waiting for his wife to continue.

"There were a few months after my mom passed where I was all alone... My father was in prison at the time and so FP's family took over the Serpents. I had thought that they would take me in, but the power got to their heads and they wanted nothing to do with me. FP tried to change their minds but when he couldn't, I was so angry and… _lost_ , I pulled away…and that's when I met your father…"

Alice was breathing shallowly, struggling to get the words out. Hal took a deep breath and decided to continue for her.

"Your mom and I started dating and things seemed to get serious very quickly. I was so in love with her…and my family ended up letting her move in. They wanted her out of the Southside as much as I did…"

The couple exchanged sad smiles.

Hal continued, "but then, her father was released and he came looking for her…"  
Alice let out a whimper and began to breath rapidly, digging her fingernails into her palm with the hand that Betty was not holding. Hal uncurled her fingers with his own and squeezed them gently.

"It's okay, Alice," he soothed, "it's important for her to know…"

" _I know,"_ Alice murmured, it coming out more as a squeak.

Hal continued once more, "One night, during dinner, there was a knock at our door. It was Alice's father. He was raging and drunk and he wanted your mother to come back home with him."

"He thought I had killed my mother and he thought it was my fault that the Serpents had fallen to the Jones'…that I hadn't defended his honor," Alice added shakily.

"He had a knife…" Hal continued, "and he threatened my father if he didn't let Alice come with him right then and there…well, my dad wasn't going to send your mom away with him…"

"There was a struggle…" Alice whispered.

"And somehow," Hal continued for her, "Alice got the knife and…"

"…Betty, at the time I knew I was pregnant. No one else knew but I was convinced that if I went with him…the baby and I wouldn't survive the night…and so I did what I had to do..." Alice turned toward her daughter and Hal placed his hands on his wife's shoulders, "I killed your grandfather…"

A/N: Soo…I know this is completely insane but bear with me…this is what Alice could have meant when she told Hal in 1x8 "You and I both know by now what I'm capable of" and it could also be why she was arrested…It makes sense as to why her and Hal are even together and not her and FP and why she wouldn't have wanted to have an abortion but also why she didn't tell FP. I don't know…maybe I'm a lunatic. Oh well!


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Hi all! I apologize I didn't update this last weekend. I'll admit, I was feeling slightly butt-hurt about the lack of reviews on the last chapter. I was being all self-conscious and down on myself that maybe people didn't like it. But then, today I was thinking how lame that is. SO I sat down and just started writing and then couldn't stop – so y'all get an extra long chapter. A lot happens this chapter…Happy Riverdale Wednesday! Can't wait for tonight's episode. Hope we get some Falice

Xx K

After the dreaded conversation with her daughter, Alice Cooper had retreated to her bedroom for some much-needed solitude. Betty had been far more understanding than Alice could have predicted, but the exchange had drained her of all energy regardless. It was two in the morning now, her eyes were drooping, her body was exhausted, but her mind would not shut off. She sat on the edge of the bed, facing the wall. She hadn't even thought to remove her pink rain boots. She was drowning in the webs of her jumbled mind.

 _Where was she supposed to go from here?_

Her youngest daughter now knew the truth, the truth of her past that had somehow (despite her best efforts) crept its way into her present and quite possibly her future. With Betty knowing about her son with FP, she knew, it was only a matter of time before FP himself found out.

 _And what would he think of her?_

It was a question she had dreaded since the day she made the decision to send herself to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy and keep the baby hidden from everyone she knew (aside from Hal).

 _Would he want to know where his son was?_

If the answer was 'yes,' Alice wasn't sure how she would even go about that or how she even felt about the possibility of meeting the child she'd given up.

 _Would FP ever want to speak to her again?_

If the answer was 'no,' she would be heartbroken.

"You still have your boots on, Al," a voice coming from behind her jarred her from her thoughts.

She turned half-heartedly and pressed her lips together in a firm line, "yeah, hadn't quite gotten around to taking them off," she muttered, turning back around to face the wall. Her shoulders drooped.

Her husband stood in front of her a moment later. He looked down and her and Alice momentarily wondered if the frown on his face was that of disappointment, pity, or sadness. But then another thought quickly followed, _do I really care?_

Hal bent down and gently removed one pink boot at a time. Alice sighed in relief.

"You did good tonight," he said, still on one knee in front of her, "I know that wasn't easy…"

Alice exhaled, "you were right, though. It needed to be done." It was hard for her to admit.

"It feels good to have everything out in the open. Feels like the closure we need," he added, taking a seat beside her on the bed.

Alice turned toward him, "closure?"

Hal shifted uncomfortably. He clasped his hands tightly in his lap, letting his thumbs twiddle as silence washed over the couple.

"Yeah…" he said slowly, "I think it is good closure for our relationship, Alice. I think we're at a crossroad here and I think you and I both know which road we should take," Hal chose his words very carefully, "I think we've both known for awhile," he added softly.

More silence followed. Alice could hardly believe what she was hearing, but at the same time she couldn't help but feel a sense of relief and gratitude toward Hal for having the courage to bring it up.

"So are you saying that you want a divorce, Hal?" Alice asked gently, turning to face him fully.

He nodded, "That's what I'm saying, yes."

"Okay, well– "

Alice was mid-sentence when their bedroom door flung open suddenly. Hal and Alice both turned abruptly to see Betty standing in the doorway wide eyed and clearly panicked.

"Mom," she barked, "we gotta go. Now."

Alice stood brusquely, sensing the urgency of the situation, "What is it, Elizabeth?"

"It's JB. She's in the hospital."

\- Minutes before, on the Southside -

The sirens were so loud Jughead almost didn't hear that his phone was ringing. When he finally did hear it, he almost didn't want to pull it out of his pocket. He was trying to stay in the moment, but honestly, everything was blurry. This was an emergency and he shouldn't be distracted, a doctor (or maybe a nurse? Or maybe a paramedic?) was talking at him and his father but it sounded more like the "Wah wah wah" that the grownups always sounded like in the Peanuts comic books. He really shouldn't be pulling out his phone right now but something tells him that the phone call was possibly another emergency and so he reluctantly peeks at it as discreetly as he can. **7 missed calls** from Betty. It crosses Jughead's mind that maybe she knows what happened and is calling to check on them…but then he thinks just as suddenly that maybe something _else_ happened.

"Jug," FP elbowed his son reprovingly. The man in scrubs was still rambling at them both. They were still frozen at the sliding front doors of the hospital where people seemed to be running races around them. Jughead couldn't focus.

"It's Betty," he tried to explain, but he wasn't sure he had even spoken the words out loud. And he definitely wasn't sure his father had heard them.

The man was now leading them away from the door, but Jughead was still staring at his phone he clutched in his shaking palm.

"Where are we going?" Jughead managed, suddenly trying to keep up. His father looked at him like a deer in headlights.

"To your sister," he replied hastily, his voice gruff with emotion.

They were walking so swiftly now, walking too quickly down a white corridor, through many sliding glass doors. Jughead was dizzy. "We can see her?"

"Haven't you been listening, boy?"

Jughead shook his head but FP was now in front of him matching the pace of the man in scrubs. They weren't even walking that fast but Jughead couldn't keep up. He stumbled against a wall and watched as FP and the man continued on without him.

His phone rang again. This time he picked it up. He slid down against the wall until he was sitting.

"Betty?" his voice was shaky.

"Jug," Betty yelped into his ear, " _there you are_."

Jughead tried to focus on her words, shoving his head between his legs to stop his stomach from lurching, "I'm here," he managed.

"Juggy, I have so much I need to tell you…wait, _are you okay?"_

Tears sprung to Jughead's eyes for the first time since he had stumbled out of the trailer an hour ago.

"No, Betty," he whispered, "It's JB..."  
 _"What! What happened, Jug? Where are you?"_

"The hospital…she was in an accident…she took the motorcycle. It's not good, Bets," Jughead said, suddenly finding his voice. He stood up and began to walk swiftly in the direction his father had seemed to be heading. Betty continued speaking but it had turned into the "wah wah wah" like the man's voice had been before.

"Okay, okay," he said into the phone absentmindedly, slipping it into his pocket he suddenly took off into a jog, taking all the turns down the corridors that had signs pointing to the ICU. He was on autopilot. After a few minutes, he finally stumbled into a small waiting room where FP was slouched over on a couch in the middle of the room. His head snapped up as Jughead entered.

" _Christ_ ," he said, standing, " _there you are_ , Jug…"

Jughead stood frozen in place and so FP took the few steps to meet his son. He pulled Jughead into a tight embrace.

"It's okay, son," he mumbled into his ear, "Jellybean is going to be fine," he said, but his voice did not sound convinced to Jughead.

Jughead pulled apart from him, "You don't know that and this _is all my fault_ ," he mumbled, stalking over to the couch and collapsing into the not-so-plump cushions. FP joined him, resting his hand on his back in attempts to comfort him.

"It is _not_ your fault, Jughead," he said sternly, "I don't want to hear you say something like that again."

Jughead ignored him.

"I can't believe I told her that everything had been normal before she got here," Jughead chided himself, "what am I? Five years old? And of course everything wasn't normal before she got here! And of course you being _in love with my girlfriend's mother_ has nothing to do with her…what kind of brother am I? What kind of person…"

"People say things they don't mean all the time…"

Jughead sat up then and father and son locked eyes.  
"But what if that was the last thing she hears someone say to her?"

FP shook his head, "It's not, Jughead," he assured him, "I refuse to believe that and you have to have more faith."

The pair sat in silence. They sat in silence for what felt like hours, the world moving slowly around them. They sat in silence until the only two people in the world who could bring them out of their trances walked through the double sliding glass doors. Two blondes that could make both their hearts melt at the sight.

" _Betty?"_

" _Alice?"_

"FP."

"Juggie."

The two, lost men stood and the women who loved them met them with tight embraces. They held on for dear life.

"Have you seen her yet?" Betty asked, pulling apart from Jughead first.

Both Jones' boys shook their heads sadly.

"When was the last time you got an update?" Alice asked, placing a comforting hand on FP's slumped shoulder. She slid her hand down until hers was gripping his own.

FP glanced up at the clock and shrugged, "I honestly don't know…Jughead?"

Jughead squinted at the clock as well, "I don't know, either. Time is funny right now," he mumbled. He looked at Betty with sad eyes and they began to tear up.

" _Oh, Jug,"_ Betty cried, wrapping her arms around him from the side.

Alice approached Jughead and placed both her warm palms on his cheeks, "It's going to be okay," she told him. Something about the way she said it made Jughead finally believe it. He nodded vigorously, trying to stop himself from being so emotional.

"I'm going to go find a doctor or something, find out what's going on," Alice assured everyone, taking off down the hallway.

They all watched her walk off, in awe of how she so easily took control of a situation.

FP looked at Betty, "Thank god for your mother, Betty. She's a saint," he sighed, collapsing back onto the couch, his face coming to rest on palms, between his knees.

Betty wondered for a moment if FP knew about her mother killing her grandfather, if he knew Alice and him shared a child…she had forgotten to ask her parents. But now was clearly not the time to bring it up.

Alice returned a moment later; another man in scrubs trailing behind her. She had a smile on her face.

"They told me she's awake," Alice announced, cheerfully.

"Oh, thank god," FP said, standing up, "How is she, doctor?" FP bounded towards the man.

"She was lucky. She fractured one of her femurs and shattered her foot, but the helmet did its job and protected her head and neck so when hit the pavement, all she sustained was a minor concussion," the doctor explained.

"So we can see her now?" FP was eager.

"Yes, she's been asking for you and someone named Jughead…and someone she called Malibu Barbie…she said you would know who she was referring," the doctor cracked a smile and eyed the two blondes, "I'm guessing its one of you two…she's a firecracker, that one," he said.

"She's asking for you, Alice?" FP grinned.

Alice smiled, "That's me. I'm Malibu Barbie."


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Thank you for the reviews and feedback on the last chapter!

xx kate

Just before entering his daughter's hospital room, FP Jones took a much-needed deep breath. It was going to take all the strength he had not to lash out at the young girl in anger. _How could his little girl have done something so reckless? 'You could have died!'_ he wanted to yell.

However, something to do with the combination of Alice gripping his hand, very present at his side and then seeing JB vulnerable, injured, and looking so small in front of him changed his demeanor entirely and in almost an instant. Jughead let out a whimper and Alice gripped FP's hand tighter. He inhaled sharply.

The four of them hovered in the doorway, blinking back tears. As if frozen, they stared at a seemingly slumbering JB. Her eyes fluttered open. As she registered who was in front of her, a hesitant smile began to play at the corners of her lips. She was relieved to see them but also ashamed, almost cowering against the pillows.

"Jellybean Jones…" FP began, stepping forward.

" _I'm sorry_ , daddy!" JB interrupted, bursting into tears. FP rushed to her side immediately. He sat on the edge of her bed and gathered her face and hair between his palms. Jughead took the other side of the bed, laying his head on his sister's lap. Alice moved to join Betty by the door and linked arms with her for support.

JB locked eyes with Alice over her father's head and smiled sadly, "I'm sorry…" she said again.

"We are so glad you're okay, JB," FP began, "but…"

" _What_ were you doing?" Jughead finished, the words coming out a little harsher than he'd intended. JB winced.

" _Jug…_ " Betty murmured reprovingly.

FP took JB's hands, "What were you thinking?" FP asked, more gently.

JB glanced up at Betty and then Alice. She bit her lip, "It's stupid…"

The room was silent, waiting for her to continue. A few moments passed and she didn't.

"What is stupid, honey?" Alice pressed, taking a seat at the foot of the bed to face the young girl.

"It won't make sense," JB clarified, "It doesn't even make sense to me."

"Try us," Betty offered.

JB closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "I was trying to get to _your_ house…"

Betty, Alice, FP, and Jughead exchanged puzzled glances.

"Our house?" Betty asked.

JB nodded, "I told you it doesn't make sense…"

Alice, in a moment of impulse, reached out and took JB's delicate hand. She didn't think about whether or not JB would accept or reject the sentiment, she simply did what any mother would do. The girl didn't pull away; instead she gripped Alice's hand tighter. FP placed one hand on top of theirs and the other hand found its way onto Alice's thigh.

"Try to explain?" Alice urged as gently as possible.

JB took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "I know I hardly know you, Alice. And that's why it's so weird…but since I've been here I've just felt so lonely and like there's this huge hole cut out of me…" JB paused and met eyes with her father, "I know dad and Juggie are trying their best to make me feel better, but the only time I felt anything like my old self was… when we were at the gas station and you told me about…" she paused again, remembering what Alice had told her in convince, "well anyway…it was the only time I've felt understood. It's stupid, I know…"

Tears were now freely streaming down Alice's face. FP instinctively reached out to wipe them away.

"That's not stupid, JB…" Alice assured her, her voice hardly above a whisper.

Betty reached out for her mother across the bed, "Mom, are you okay?"

Alice nodded, sniffing and wiping her eyes hastily with the sleeves of her jacket, trying to get herself under control. It was killing her to know that people in this room knew things about her and her past that FP did not and _could not_ know…or maybe he _should_ know…but then what would he think of her? Their relationship could possibly be over before it even had the chance to start again.

Alice stood abruptly, suddenly feeling like she desperately needed some fresh air.

"Excuse me, I'll be right back," she muttered, dashing from the room.

Stumbling down the maze of hallways, she followed the signs towards the exit, and finally found her way out the double doors of the hospital entrance. She could hardly make it to the bench just outside the doors before collapsing. She took a few moments to regain her normal breathing pattern. She watched as her breaths made puffs of white vapor in the air and shivered. Attempting to get warmer, she shoved her hands deep into her pockets, her fingers coming into contact with something solid; she pulled out the packet of cigarettes she'd gotten earlier that night. Seemed more like eons ago. She pulled out a white stick and rolled it over between her fingers. She still didn't have a lighter.

"What are you doing with that?" Came a familiar voice. The smile was evident in his tone before Alice even looked up and saw him. "You smoking again?"

She smirked to match his, "no."

FP took a seat by her and they were silent for a moment as Alice reached over and tossed the cigarette and its package into the garbage.

"I don't know what I'm doing," Alice admitted, sheepishly. She met FP's eyes and somehow she felt they were seeing into her soul, "I don't know what is going on…" she admitted.

She must have been shivering because next thing she knew FP was wrapping his warm arm around her and pulling her closer into his body.

"What's going on, Alice Cooper, is that for some reason my daughter feels safer when you're around and…so do I," he added, his voice just a whisper, his lips so close to Alice's she could feel his warm breath on her own lips. The warmth traveled down her body and this time she shivered for an entirely different reason.

"Are you still cold?" FP asked, concern etched in his words, "let's go inside…"

He began to stand but Alice pulled him back to him, "No," she insisted, "You make me warm, FP…"

And that was the only invitation FP Jones needed. In an instant, his lips were crashing against hers. Alice melted against him, using her hands to pull his head closer to hers, her fingers finding his dark locks. His stubble felt rough and so familiar against her cheeks, the sensation sending heat rushing between her legs. She moaned into his mouth before thinking better of it, letting herself get lost in the feelings of passion she hadn't felt in decades.

But suddenly, the connection was lost as FP pulled apart abruptly.

"We still shouldn't be doing this…" FP breathed, "You are still married, Alice…"

"Hal and I are getting a divorce," she reassured him quickly. She couldn't help the smile that threatened at the corners of her lips, knowing that the man in front of her was closer to being hers than he had been in over twenty years.

"So I _can_ kiss you?" FP smiled outright, taking her face between his palms.

"You can," she replied softly.

FP grinned, "How lucky does that make me?"

He leaned forward towards her, but guilt suddenly shot through Alice's body and before FP could reclaim her lips she placed her fingers on them to stop him. There was something she had to do before she could let this go anywhere further in good conscious. She wanted things to work between her and FP this time. And in order for that to happen…

"FP, _wait_ , there's something you need to know…"

A/N: just a couple more chapters left of this fic…


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: This chapter is a birthday gift for xJordanKayX – sickly sweet and just for you! Happy birthday, friend!

xx K

Alice meant to tell FP right then and there about their son, she really meant to. She wanted to tell him about how she felt when she had left the Southside all those years ago – how alone and how _terrified_ she'd been. She wanted to explain to him what had happened with her father, why he had been released from prison and then seemingly disappeared without a trace. She wanted so badly to describe to him how impossibly hard it had been to wake up every day for the past twenty-five years knowing how badly she'd fucked up, and continued to fuck up every second she didn't tell him about his son, the life they'd made together. She wanted to tell him all of this and more and yet not a single bit of it would make up for it, not an ounce would keep him from hating her… and so… not a word of what she wanted to say (what she really meant to say) left her mouth.

Not a word. Instead she smiled, her lips still tingling from the kiss, her cheeks burning from the heat that radiated between them. She just smiled.

FP chuckled and clicked his tongue against his teeth in false disdain, "What'd you have to say, Al…anything?"

She shook her head in response and smiled against his palms. The words caught in her throat. His face was so close to hers, so close and so beautiful. He was looking at her like she was the only one in his world. A look that made her heart soar and hurt all at the same time.

"I know it's scary, but don't try to deny this, Alice, please…" he said softly, moving strands of her hair behind her ear, "Everything's aligning in our worlds…everything is aligning so that _this_ can happen. So that _we_ can happen…can't you see it?"

"FP…" Alice searched his eyes and could see nothing but love. And it absolutely killed her.

A tear escaped her eye and trickled down her cheek, catching above her lip. FP leaned in only an extra inch and feather-dusted his lips above hers.

"Kissing away my tears, Jones?" she hummed as he pulled away.

FP frowned suddenly and Alice could immediately feel his demeanor change. He looked down and this time she took his face in her palms, "Hey…what is it?"

"I'm so sorry, Alice," he said quietly, so quietly she could hardly hear him.

"Sorry for what?" she almost laughed, finding it horribly ironic that _he_ would be apologizing to _her_ for _anything_.

"I'm sorry for not fighting for you…back then. I'm sorry for not being there for you…enough. I'm sorry for all the tears I haven't been able to kiss away for you, for all the times you needed me to hold you and I wasn't there, you know?"

Alice caught herself with her mouth open and closed it quickly.

"FP-" she started. But he wasn't finished.

"I realize it looks like you have everything you ever wanted on the Northside, but I know _you,_ Ali and I know life hasn't been easy for you. It kills me knowing I wasn't there…"

Alice shook her head slowly back and forth. No one had ever looked at her the way FP was looking at her now. Like he was looking right into the depths of her soul. Like he was really seeing her.

"So," he continued, "I'm sorry, Al-"

"I love you," she said, cutting him off, the words tumbling out of her mouth before she could catch herself. Her hand flew to her lips and FP grinned uncontrollably.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," she mumbled, her eyes wide.

"What did you just say, Alice Cooper?" He asked again, his smile growing. He took her hands from her mouth and pressed them against his own. She smiled back, biting her lip.

"I said… I love you. I love you, Forsythe," she repeated softly.

The guilt was overwhelming for Alice, but the love she had for this man overpowered that emotion entirely. She'd waited a quarter of a century to be able to say those three words to the one human who truly had her heart and the idea of losing that now nearly broke her in two. She reached for the collar of his shirt, pulling herself into him, as if this action would maybe hold her together. She chided herself internally for thinking that it could, but then he wrapped his arms around her back, intertwining his fingers into her hair and she found herself feeling like he actually _did_. FP Jones actually _did_ hold her together. She must have been broken all these years without even realizing it because now that she was wrapped in his embrace and she suddenly felt whole.

"I love you, too," he was whispering into her ear, repeatedly. " _I love you, Ali. I love you so much."_

One of FP's warm hands found the back of her head and pulled her into an earth-shattering kiss while the other slipped into her jacket, finding her waist, his fingers working their way up towards her rib cage. She shuttered against him and kissed him harder, pulling his bottom lip between her teeth. His tongue found its way into her mouth and she responded in turn, feeling suddenly like a teenager in the back of his truck getting truly kissed for the first time.

" _Really?"_

Her daughter's voice resounded from directly behind Alice, causing her and FP to leap apart. Alice turned slowly towards the door, her face, she knew, spelled out 'guilty' in more ways than one.

When she finally turns all the way around, Betty and Jughead are standing side by side with their arms crossed like bouncers at a club or two angry parents staring at their kids who just got home 10 minutes past curfew. Alice felt her cheeks redden.

"Really?" Jughead echoed, "Outside the hospital? _Dad_ ," he chided, shaking his head. Betty's mouth still hung open as Jughead spoke and she shook her head right along with his. She looked appalled and if Alice hadn't have been so ashamed she might have laughed.

FP _did_. He did laugh. It started as a chuckle and erupted from there.

Alice whipped back around towards him in shock. His eyes met hers and he howled with laughter even more. She noticed her lipstick smeared across his pale lips and noted how flushed he looked. She wondered if she looked in a similar state. Actually, she probably looked worse, she decided, knowing full well her hair was in utter disarray, her eyes were probably blood shot from lack of sleep, and now her own attempt at pulling herself together (the lipstick) had completely backfired. She turned back towards the children and shrugged, holding back her own laugh.

"Well I guess everything is pretty much out in the open now," she said. FP's laugh was winding down and he took Alice's hand firmly in his own.

Betty eyed her mother and frowned, " _Is it_ , mom?"

A/N: Anyone still reading?

I'm dying in anticipation for Riverdale return, although I'm pretty sure it will be a few more episodes until we get more Falice.


	17. Chapter 17

Alice's eyebrows furrowed and her smile fell abruptly, " _Betty_ …please..."

Betty recognized the pleading tone as a last ditch effort on her mother's part, but she was determined not to let this go. She crossed her arms defiantly over her chest, causing Alice to take a very long and pointed breath and turn quite forcefully towards FP, mostly to avoid her daughter's harsh glare but partly in hopes of calming FP with just a look. It didn't work, though.

He cleared his throat and shook his head in confusion, "What's going on, Al?" he asked, obviously puzzled. He looked to Betty who shrugged and almost immediately glanced towards Jughead.

"Don't look at _me_ , I have no idea what's happening right now," Jughead said, obviously perturbed that his girlfriend had neglected to share with him some observably significant information. " _Betty_ ," he continued, shoving his hands in his pockets, "what exactly _is_ going on here?"

Betty hadn't released her eyes from intense stare-off she was having with the back of her mother's head. "My mom's going to tell you," Betty urged.

Alice sighed heavily and turned, determined to hold her ground and doubly determined not to have her daughter man handle the situation. "Is now really the time, Elizabeth?" Alice asked, exasperated, "because I really had this planned out in a much more diplomatic way; preferably _not_ outside the hospital, preferably _not_ after such a traumatic incident, and preferably…with alcohol involved," her tough tone faded as she spoke, the last word coming out as a mere squeak.

"Well mom, I'd say you've had all the time in the world, wouldn't you?"

"Betty, that's not fair, you know" –

"And I'd also like to point out that if you really want this relationship with FP to work, its not "fair" to _any of us_ to start it like _this_ ," Betty reasoned.

Alice had to admit, her daughter made a good point, but that didn't make this any easier. She felt sick to her stomach.

"Okay, seriously," FP interjected, "I'm starting to get nervous. Can somebody just tell Jughead and I what's going on?"

Alice bit her lip and took FP's hands hesitantly. This was the moment she'd been dreading for more than half of her life.

"You're shaking," FP noted, squeezing her hands firmly in his own.

"Forsythe," she whispered so only he could hear, "just remember I love you and I never did this to hurt you, okay? I would never do anything to hurt you like this on purpose…and I'm so sorry."

"You're really starting to scare me, Al…"

Alice closed her eyes, tears already beginning to form. She glanced back at her daughter; maybe it wasn't too late to back out, to change the subject, to make up some other lie to cover this horrible mess she'd made, she just needed her daughter to be on board. But Betty frowned and her eyes were so raw with emotion, her mouth flattened into such a perfect line, Alice nearly forgot how to breathe looking at her daughter looking at her like _that_. Betty reminded her so much of herself it sometimes scared her too much to fully comprehend. Like looking in a mirror. _Please_ , Betty mouthed.

"Please," Alice muttered, playing with the word in her mouth. She squeezed her eyes shut. _Please, don't hate me._

"Hey," FP's voice came, subtle and soothing, "Whatever you have to say, it's okay. It's gonna be okay, Al. It's not going to change how I feel about you, how I've always felt about you…"  
Alice gulped, "But it will."

"It won't" –

"We have a child together, FP," she blurted. FP's eyes widened and he removed his hands from hers quickly. As his warmth left her, a chill ran through Alice; a feeling like daggers piercing her skin. She felt him pull away, in every sense he _pulled away_.

"I don't understand…" He was shaking his head now, blinking, scrunching his nose, breathing heavily. Coming unhinged, really.

She tried again, "I had a baby… your baby… I had _your_ baby twenty five years ago, FP."  
"But" –

"I was sixteen and I'd just left the Southside. My mother had just killed herself. My father was in prison. I had no real home, not any stability any way; A-and I didn't have you anymore, FP. I was so lost, FP, and I couldn't tell you and I couldn't keep him…" she was talking so quickly, just stringing words together at this point that she hoped made sense.

"Him?" FP was gaping, and gasping, and still blinking over and over and _over_ again. And he couldn't form sentences and he _really_ couldn't wrap his mind around this, Alice could tell. But she couldn't quite explain it in any more words than she'd already uttered. Nothing would help, she realized.

"Oh, my god," Jughead was muttering repeatedly behind them.

" _A boy?"_ FP asked. Still shaking his head, still blinking.

Alice nodded vigorously, " _I'm sorry_ ," she said, her voice so tight and strained she wasn't sure if he'd heard. It wouldn't have mattered either way.

"Lemme get this right," Jughead's booming voice cut through the clipped words and the strangled sentences, "Betty and I share a sibling and you've what – known this whole time?!" He was incredulous. Jughead stepped forward and Alice flinched, she couldn't help it.

" _Jug,"_ Betty tried, pulling at his arm.

"No, Betty," he continued, fuming, "this is- this is… _ridiculous_ ," Jughead struggled to find a word adequate enough to describe what this situation truly was. 'Ridiculous' didn't even begin cover it, "And what? You think it's A-okay and _excusable_ because you had a bad home life? Seriously?"

Alice shriveled noticeably.

" _Jughead_ ," FP warned.

"Mom, tell them the rest," Betty pleaded. She'd fully forgiven her mother but only after she'd heard the whole story. They needed to hear the whole story.

"I think that's enough for today, Betty," Alice bit out, her voice weak, her shoulder slumped. She wanted to melt into this bench, to disappear. The past twenty-four hours was enough to kill a woman. She was so tired she was starting to go numb in her extremities, her face tingled and her eyelids were almost too heavy for her to hold open.

"The hell it is, Alice. _Finish_. You owe me that," FP said firmly, "I deserve the damn truth, the whole of it." Finally, he was finding his words.

Alice dissolved into tears hearing the rigidity, the hardness in his voice, "Oh god, you do. You deserve the truth and you don't deserve what I've done," she wailed. She covered her face with her hands. She was so, so tired.

" _Alice_ ," FP growled, pulling her hands roughly down to her lap. His words and his actions were harsher than he'd intended and Alice pulled back and flinched like he was going to hit her. His face immediately softened and she recovered quickly reasoning that she probably deserved to be hit any way.

" _I'm sorry_ ," he said, "but please…"

Alice scrunched her face up and prepared herself for a blow, "I killed him, FP…" she said through clenched teeth, a tight jaw.

"Our son?!" FP was on his feet now.

"No, no! God, no," she reassured him quickly, "My _father_ …I killed my father. I killed him to _save_ our son..."

FP began to pace between the bench and concrete arch of the building. Pacing and muttering obscenities through gritted teeth. He stopped suddenly, turning and throwing a heavy punch into the concrete beside him, "Fuck!" he yelled startling them all.

" _Dad, Jesus!"_ Jughead was at his side in an instant.

" _FP_!" Alice was to her feet now in almost the same second, joining Jughead at FP's side. FP doubled over, cradling his now bleeding hand.

" _Did he hurt you?"_ was all he had to say as Alice bent down in attempts to assess his hand. Tears were forming in the corners of his eyes and Alice didn't know if it was from the pain of punching solid concrete or the pain _she_ had caused. She guessed probably a little of both.

"No, FP," she soothed, slinging her arm over him protectively, "But you know how he was... He got out of prison and came looking for me at Hal's. He was so unhinged about mom, he had a knife, and if I'd gone with him I wouldn't have lasted the night. _Our son_ wouldn't have lasted…" She was crying again now. They both were.

"God _, Ally,"_ he choked.

"I'm sorry I couldn't keep him, I'm sorry I couldn't tell you about him. I wasn't strong enough, then," she cried. He crossed in front of her, the pain in his right hand suddenly dissipating. He enclosed her small frame into his body and held her with his good arm. "Please don't hate me," she was saying into his chest.

 _How in the world could he hate this woman?_ He thought. It went without logic. He _should_ hate her, but there was no way he could bring himself to. But there was one thing…

"Alice," he said gently, parting from her and holding her just enough so he could see her face, "I don't hate you, I never could, but…"

She held her breath.

"Do we know where he is? Have you ever gone looking for our son? Does he know we exist?"

A/N: So….Anxious to know what you guys think of this.


	18. Chapter 18

The answer to all three of FP's questions had been a very solemn, disconcerted and regretful ' _no'_ on Alice's part and FP had simply nodded in return. They had left it there – both feeling as if there were a million things that had been left unsaid but also feeling as if they (finally) had all the time in the world to address them. Their children, the ones they'd raised, the ones in front of them now, needed their immediate attention and they both knew it.

Time seemed on a warped, hazy speed since that night (or day, rather). It had been a week of JB in the hospital: a week of pain pills, and physical therapy, sponge baths, and hospital pudding – a week of Alice and FP taking turns caring for the girl. One adult would relieve the other to go home and shower and sleep while the other remained in the hospital practically affixed to JB's bed…and it happened much like that on a loop for those seven, long days and seven, long nights. And now it was finally coming to an end.

JB had been discharged and FP and Alice were finally both together and _awake_ instead of the way it had been – like two sleepy ships passing in the night. Despite the fact that they hadn't revisited their heated conversation and there was certainly an awkward, pointed tension between them, FP found that he still got short of breath looking at the blonde; he wondered if that would ever change, whether he would ever get used to how stunning she was or how looking at her made him feel. He kind of hoped it wouldn't.

"Thank you for everything you've done, Alice, " FP was saying quietly as JB situated herself in the wheelchair with the help of the nurse, "But I think JB will be fine at the trailer."

Alice crossed her arms over her chest a huffed in frustration. She was exhausted but still determined to convince FP that JB should stay at her place – it made far more sense. There was more room for the wheelchair, it was a suitable place to have occupational and physical therapy come weekly to help her adjust, and there was a large guest bedroom on the ground level that JB could have easy access to right next to the kitchen. Not to mention, Polly's bedroom was available and FP or Jughead could spend the night whenever he wanted now that Hal had moved out. It was far better than a cramped and cluttered trailer and they both knew it.

"FP, _please_ ," Alice countered anxiously, "I have everything set up for her. Just try it for one night, ok? It's going to be super late by the time we actually get home and _seriously_ , everything is all set up for you _both_ ," she tried a smile.

FP had always found it difficult to say no to that smirk and now was no different. "Fine," he said, matching hers with a little grin of his own.

Alice gave him a quick and sheepish peck on the lips, "Thank you, babe, you won't regret it," she whispered into his ear. She turned to go grab JB's bag of accumulated items, but FP grasped her by the hand and pulled her gently into side.

" _Babe_ , huh?" he muffled into the side of her head, taking in the smell of her freshly washed locks.

Alice blushed furiously and slapped him playfully on the chest, her hand lingering and then pushing him away, " _Yes_ ," she said firmly with a nod of resolution, "that okay with you?" she purred, promptly turning to grab the bag without giving him time to respond.

Alice ignored FP's wide grin as the nurse showed her how to operate JB's wheelchair. He absentmindedly signed JB's discharge paperwork, his gaze not ever leaving her.

 _How in the hell did we get here?_ He briefly wondered, but dismissed the thought. Best not to jinx it; despite the knowledge of a son he never knew he had tugging at the back of his mind, this was the happiest he had been in years.

"You coming, dad?" JB called, pulling FP from his thoughts. His two girls were already half out the door.

Alice had been right; the setup she had created for JB was absolutely perfect. FP chided himself, he should have had more faith in her, after all – the woman was _absolutely perfect_. And he told her so, pulling her into the hallway after they had gotten JB settled into the bed Alice had purchased specifically for her.

"God, Alice, _thank you_ ," he sighed, his hand coming up to rest against the wall to the side of her head. She smiled lightly in return, placing her hand against his chest.

"You're welcome," she said gently, "I followed ADA guidelines for bed height, I thought they'd be useful to read up on since she'll be in a wheelchair for a while and –"

FP interrupted her by covering her mouth with his own. It was a quick kiss but left them both breathless, "You're absolutely, perfect. Did you know that?" he said as they parted.

Her eyes remained closed but she smiled, inhaling deeply to try and catch her breath, "Yes, I've been told that…" she whispered teasingly.

"But really, Alice," FP said, his tone more serious, "thank you for being there for my family and me, it means the world…"

"Of course, Forsythe –"

"I know it hasn't been easy and I know that it's probably not going to get any easier. I'm still not sure how this is all supposed to work out – JB staying down here, Jughead and me in Polly's room… all of us under the same roof…it's definitely not conventional to say the very least…"

Alice smiled, her hands coming to grip the collar of FP's flannel, " _Hey_ ," she soothed, "I've had _"conventional"_ for the last twenty-five years. I knew what I was signing up for…I want _you_ ," she hummed, placing a reassuring peck to his lips.

He smiled against her, very much reassured.

"Now go get into some sweats or something and meet me back down in the kitchen for a nightcap," she said, scooting around him and disappearing up the stairs.

 _A nightcap with Alice Cooper_ …God, that was something he'd been dreaming about for decades. He grinned to himself and followed her up the stairs a moment later.

As FP entered Polly's old room, he found a tousled but _empty_ bed. _Where was Jughead?_ He panicked only momentarily, quickly realizing where he must be. He shrugged knowing he probably would have done the same thing at his age (Hell, he would do the same thing now with his Cooper woman if he could) and threw on some sweats and stepped back into the hallway. He was (only slightly) disappointed in his son and only because he really didn't want his family to overstep their welcome in the Cooper home, but had no intention of confirming his suspicions of where his son might be, feeling that it would be too incongruous if he knocked on Betty's door. However, as he glanced in the general direction of her room, he found Alice hadn't had the same intentions. In the dark hallway, he could see her peering in her daughter's doorway. He watched her pause for a moment and then back out, he watched her shoulders slump. She turned slowly.

"FP!" she yipped, the sight of his shadow nearly causing her to jump out of her skin.

He chuckled and pulled her close, _"Shhh, sorry,"_ he whispered, drawing her towards the stairs and away from their sleeping children.

At the top of the stairs, they paused, Alice resting her tired head on FP's chest, "He's sleeping on the floor by her bed," she whispered.

He could hear the smile in her voice and it eased his concerns. He silently praised his son for being so respectful.

"You okay with that? I could wake him and tell him to move," he offered, still holding her tight to his chest.

"No," she shook her head against him, "I think it's alright, they need each other right now," she said.

He nodded and they pulled apart. He could hardly see her in the dark hallway but regardless, he knew exactly where her lips were. He found them with his own and gave her a lengthy kiss.

"Still want that nightcap?" she asked, parting and finding his hand in the dark.

"Is that even a question?" He chuckled, allowing her to lead him down the stairs to the kitchen.

As FP's eyes adjusted to the light, he was finally able to see Alice – _to see what she was wearing_. His breathing hitched immediately.

She was clad in a dusty rose colored, silk nightgown, the lace ending mid thigh – and it caught FP entirely off-guard.

"Is _that_ what you wear to bed?" His mouth hung open as he pointed loosely as the clingy fabric that wasn't leaving too much to the imagination, at least not to _his_ imagination.

"It's a _night_ gown, FP. Of course this is what I wear to bed," she scoffed, making her way to the other side of the kitchen's granite island. He watched in awe as she gathered tumblers from the cupboard and set them on the counter. She met his eyes and smirked, turning towards the microwave, she stood on her tiptoes and reached towards the liquor cabinet – he was behind her in an instant.

"Oooh!" she yipped in surprise, feeling his body press against hers.

" _Here_ ," he said, folding his arm around her hips to rest against her silk covered stomach, he reached above her to grab the Bourbon bottle, "is this what you want?"

She swiveled in his arms to face him; her whole body trapped between him and the counter, " _No_ ," she purred, " _this_ is what I want."  
It was mutual; they met in a heated kiss, hands roaming, making up for lost time. They lost themselves entirely in the moment. Without knowing exactly when or how, FP had lifted Alice onto the counter and she'd wrapped her legs around his waist. He'd slid a silk strap from her shoulder and his tongue was trailing down –

" _Alice!"_

JB's small voice ripped the couple apart, Alice bumping her head hard on the cupboard doors.

"Shit!" She said, rubbing her scalp.

"You okay?" he asked worriedly, pulling her down from the counter and into his arms. She groaned against him.

" _Dad!"_ came JB's voice again.

FP frowned and they pulled apart, Alice sliding easily down his body until her feet touched the floor.

"Yeah…this isn't going to be easy," she sighed.

A/N: I know, I know, logistics aren't the best. Jughead could probably stay at Archie's or something and there are a million other scenarios that would probably work better, but hey – do it for the drama? Right?


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Warning – this is rated Mature. I don't know how that happened; it was not my intention. I have literally NEVER written smut like this before soo idk, sue me. Falice does things to me…I can't help it. If that's not your cup of tea, I suggest you skip this chapter and read the last line, that's all you need to know.

It had taken all the strength FP had not to ditch Polly's room, sneak into Alice's and curl up by her side during the night. Knowing she was just down the hall nearly killed him. He wished he didn't – but he craved her touch, the feel of her body pressed against his. It kept him up all night, the thought of it. He practically had to fold the sheets under himself, wrapping himself in a restrictive cocoon in order to keep from getting out from the bed and finding hers. He nearly gave in on several occasions. Several.

But he didn't. Instead he waited until the crack of dawn, prepared a tray full of fresh fruit, toast, jam, and coffee and brought it upstairs to surprise Alice with breakfast in bed.

As he headed down the hallway, it dawned on him momentarily that this gesture could come off a little too strong; Alice would perhaps find it a little over the top, desperate, presumptuous? He was hesitant and almost turned back around but he needed to do _something_ for the woman; she'd opened her home to his family, she'd treated his daughter as if she was her own, she'd taken care of him when he'd been at his lowest points these last couple of weeks. He _needed_ to show her that he appreciated it. And this was the best he knew how – and it was only just a start. He was still miffed about her keeping his son from him, but the love he had for this woman overpowered that at least ten fold. He planned to talk to her about it…he did…just maybe not today. Today he just wanted to love her, to hold her, to relish in the fact that Alice Cooper was finally his once again.

Steadying the tray with one hand, he rapped slightly on the door and turned the knob before waiting for a response. The hazy, morning light was shining through the thin curtains casting a yellow glow on the woman that lay before him. She was still sound asleep, both her arms wrapped around her pillow, one leg draped haphazardly outside the sheets. One dangerously long and bare leg. FP nearly dropped the tray. He pulled himself together quickly, set the food on the bedside table and sat on the edge of the bed. He took a moment to watch her breath, her chest rising and falling. She was quite possibly the most beautiful being he'd ever seen. Scratch that; she was.

FP moved blonde tendrils from her face and bent down to kiss her cheek. She moaned as he woke her, her hands coming to her eyes to rub the sleep from them. They adjusted quickly and when she saw FP she couldn't help but smile.

"Good morning, handsome," she purred, reaching up to pull on the front of his white t-shirt. He took the hint and bent down to capture her lips. Without separating from him, Alice tugged on the back of his head and simultaneously moved to the center of the mattress making room for FP right beside her. He didn't need any more of an invitation than that. He climbed in next to her warm body, under the sheets, without ever breaking contact. She immediately entangled her legs with his own, encircling her arms around his back until there was no air between them.

"This is certainly one way to wake up," she murmured into his shoulder, nipping at the skin there and then kissing the mark she left.

"I'll say," FP nearly choked out, a certain part of his body perking up at the sound of her silky voice. Alice hummed in satisfaction as she felt his hardness against her thigh.

"I honestly thought you would have come in here last night," Alice admitted, her hands dipping under the covers to find the waistband of his boxers.

FP groaned as she pushed them down, her nails scraping over his skin. "I wanted to," he shuttered, "dear god, I _wanted_ to, Ali…I didn't sleep well knowing you were down the hall…" He pushed his boxers the rest of the way down discarding them off the side of the bed.

Alice laughed lightly, now moving to pull FP's t-shirt over his head, "I didn't sleep well either," she whispered, her mouth immediately moving to his chest, leaving open mouthed kisses all the way down to his stomach, she reached for him, her head going lower –

"Don't," he said pulling her back up his body and flipping them in one quick movement, "let me," he finished, moving himself until her was positioned between her legs. He let his tongue dance over the soft skin of her inner thighs.

"Hold on, FP," Alice stopped him, squirming until his head jolted up and their eyes met. She looked genuinely worried and FP's heart began to race.

"We don't have to, Al, I just thought – "

"No! It's not that…I _want_ to, it's just…no one has done this to me… _for_ me…in a really long time," she admitted, her face reddening with shame, "thank you…"  
FP grasped both of her hips gently with his hands and smiled up at her, " _Hey_ ," he said lightly, "Let me treat you like the goddess you are."

He winked cheekily, causing Alice to chuckle. However, in just an instant her smile was wiped from her face as FP worked his magic. He had her truly feeling like a goddess in just minutes, causing her to bite her forearm in order to hold back her scream.

"FP," she breathed heavily, coming down from her high. He continued to kiss and caress her inner thighs, making sure she knew she was loved and cherished.

" _FP_ ," she said again, louder, "Get up here," she panted, "I need you inside of me, _now_."

He didn't need to be told twice, he grinned and shimmied up her body, taking his sweet time just to drive her crazy.

"Oh, for Christ's sake," Alice huffed, pulling FP the rest of the way up and flipping herself from under him until she was straddling his waist. She glared down at him and lifted an eyebrow in triumph.

FP raised both of his brows in shock and couldn't help but smile, "That's the Ace I know," he growled, grasping her hips with both hands.

Alice pressed her palms against his chest and lifted herself up. She locked eyes with him as he situated himself at her entrance and she slowly and methodically slid all the way down his length without one word. She adjusted to him quickly; they fit perfectly as if they had never parted. They both knew exactly what the other liked – how deep and at what angle. It made it a quick and delicious process for them both; grinding together until they were both seeing stars.

"That was just as good as I remembered," Alice gasped, collapsing down next to FP.

FP was still too out of breath to respond. Alice giggled and turned into him, throwing her leg over his damp body.

"Wow," he finally breathed, turning his head to face her, "you are something else, Alice Cooper. Something _else_."

Alice bit her lip and smiled, "You are too, Forsythe." She perched herself up on his chest and leaned over him to the tray of food. She plucked a strawberry and popped it seductively into her mouth. Or maybe it just _seemed_ seductive to FP.

"You even brought me breakfast in bed," she murmured, "I can't remember the last time I wasn't the one to make breakfast," she said warily, climbing gently over FP's body to bring the tray over to the bed, "I'm taking full advantage of this," she grinned.

She placed the tray in front of her and crisscrossed her legs, immediately grabbing a piece of toast.

"You deserve it, Alice," FP smiled, scooting up to rest his back against the headboard. He watched her eat in silence, just taking in how absolutely perfect she was; how happy she made him. It was crazy to him that just two weeks ago he had been sitting in prison, finding out his wife had been killed, knowing he needed to buck up and be the father he was supposed to be, get his life together…he couldn't have done it all without the woman beside him…

Suddenly Alice turned, jarring him from his thoughts. She popped a grape hesitantly in her mouth; she locked eyes with him, her face becoming very serious.  
"FP…" she started, chewing the grape slowly.

"Yeah?"  
"I've been thinking about this for a while and… I think we should start looking for our son…"


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: I apologize profusely that I have not finished off this last chapter in a timely manner. I could not figure out how to end this properly…it's still not exactly how I wanted it but I figured this was is close as I could come. Let me know what you think! Thank you so much for reading all the way through this story! I've really enjoyed writing it!

" _I've been thinking about this for a while and… I think we should start looking for our son…"_

FP was stunned into momentary silence. His eyes went wide and Alice watched as his brows contorted and his mouth formed a deep, rigid frown. She surveyed his face and waited as he processed the information, continuing to plop grapes into her mouth cumbersomely. Chewing them slowly she began to get progressively more nervous as the seconds of silence ticked by and FP still had not responded.

"FP…did you hear me?"

FP nodded quickly, "Oh, I heard you Alice. I heard you…I just, don't know exactly what to say."

He was getting out of the bed now, flinging the sheets aggressively off his naked body.

"You don't know what to say?" Alice repeated cautiously as she watched him begin to pace across the room. This was certainly not the response she had expected. Not in the slightest.

"No, _no_ I don't. I really don't. You told me _only_ a week ago we have a child together. You waited _twenty-five years_ to tell me, Alice, and I asked you then and there if you'd ever gone looking for him and you said you hadn't. Case closed. I accepted that, I forgave you. But now you say you _want_ to look for him? After twenty-five years, Al! A quarter of a century and all of a sudden, you think we should try to find him? I'm just so fucking confused right now…"

FP was now heading for the door – still very much in the nude. Alice reached for his underwear down by her feet and held them out to him, "Where are you going, FP? Can you just give me a chance to explain? Can we talk about this, please?"

"No, we can't, Alice, just –" he took in a deep exasperated breath.

Alice frowned, " _Fine_ ," she spat, tossing his underwear at him from across the room, "But you can't just walk out into the hallway like that, _babe_."

She smirked caustically and FP shot her a look and bent down to pick up his boxers. He quickly shimmied back into them, huffing in irritation the whole time just to make a point. When he stood up straight, they locked eyes. His hand was on the doorknob, but it slipped off and fell to his side as soon as he saw the look on Alice's face.

" _FP_ ," she pleaded. And it was all she had to say. He made his way back to her side. It was always that easy between them.

She sighed in relief and moved so that she could wrap her arms around his neck and pull him as close to her as she could.

"I'm sorry," FP whispered into her hair, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get upset…"

She pulled apart from him and shook her head rapidly, "No, FP. You have the right to be upset. You have the right to feel whichever way, react whichever way, say whatever you want to say to me…I deserve it all and _more_ , please don't ever say _you_ are sorry to _me_ because I will never be able to say how sorry _I_ am to _you_ , there aren't even enough words…"

Alice was trying not to cry, FP didn't deserve for her to act emotional on top of all this. It was his turn to be emotional and she had to let him have that moment.

"But that's not the point Alice, okay? Those years have passed, it _happened_. We moved on, we _move_ on. Now we just have a couple more obstacles in front of us. One being my daughter and her recovery, two being that Jughead and Betty are together and I think happy and I'd really love to keep it that way, and _now_ three… _our_ son…do we go try and find him? Is now the right time?"

"Are you asking me…?"

"I'm asking you," FP confirmed.

"I don't know…what do you think? We do have a lot going on right now, I get that. Maybe in hindsight, it wasn't the best time to bring it up…but I'm just so happy with you, FP…that we're finally together after all this time and I…I know a piece of both of us is missing and walking around out there in the world and part of me just wonders…"

"If we can be a family now?"

Alice reddened. It sounded idiotic coming from his mouth. Childish, naïve. A family?! What kind of fucked up family could they truly be? She tried to back pedal.

"No, I know," she stumbled, "that's moronic, of course we can't be a family _now_ …"

"Now wait, Alice-"

"God, I'm an _idiot_. Your wife just died, I'm not even divorced yet, our children are _dating_ , I'm pretending I'm JB's mother, Jughead probably hates me, and I think… _what_? We can find our baby and be a big happy family?!"

Alice was now the one to fling the sheets off herself and begin pacing.

"Al…" FP tried to interject, but she was unapproachable.

"A _baby_? Listen to me, HA! He's not a _baby_. He'd be a grown adult now and he'd probably despise me for giving him up and never coming to look for him. And that's all assuming that we'd even be able to find him…but then the mere idea of him not knowing I've thought about him every single day of his life…it kills _me_ …can I live with myself?  
"Ali-"  
"Oh my god…how do I live with myself? How have I been living with myself?! What kind of person am I? What kind of mother –"

"Alice!" FP was now on his feet in front of her, grabbing her by her shoulders and forcing her to look him in the eye. " _Stop_ ," he said gently.

"Oh god," she cried quietly, "here I go again, only thinking about myself…right?" Her voice was hardly above a whisper, weak and quivery. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her shoulders were hunched – a broken, shell of a woman stood before FP.

"Alice," he said firmly but with the most love she'd ever heard her name spoken with, "you are the kind of mother that protects her children at all costs, the kind of woman that doesn't even bat an eye and takes my family under her wing, the kind of person who protects her unborn child to the point where you were forced to do many unthinkable things…I know you did what you did to protect him. Like I said earlier, I forgive you. _Please_ forgive yourself," he paused to wipe her eyes, "And you want to know something? We can be a family, okay? Yeah, it's not conventional," he laughed, "But when have we ever been conventional?"

"You think we can be a family?" Alice sniffled, allowing herself to be enveloped by FP's strong arms.

He kissed the top of her head and grinned, "Not only do I think we can be, Al. I think we already are and I think we always have been. Now lets go downstairs, make our kids some breakfast and make a plan to go find our son."

Fin.

A/N: Poll: would anyone be interested in reading an epilogue or part II to this?


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